Tips For Renting To International Students.
June 12, 2015
BRITISH universities are experiencing a boom in foreign students, with the number of international students coming to the country to study having soared by 67% in 10 years.
With the percentage of overseas students at British universities expected to rise from 15 per cent of all students in 2008 to 21 per cent in 2018, this influx presents a real opportunity for letting agents to capitalize on.
But this new chance at a wider tenant base comes with its own set of issues.
First, overseas students are less likely to be able to visit a property before signing a tenancy. We are increasingly seeing agencies use property videos and even the current darling of the tech world Periscope to give guided tours around properties.
Secondly, although they may good at hitting the books, do they know their mould from their mildew? And more significantly, when it comes to their responsibilities, will they understand what you’re talking about?
Ensuring that you’re speaking the same language as your tenant when it comes to reporting problems and repairs is the best way to get ahead in this market. One of the major problems with letting to students, particularly international ones, is a disconnect when it comes to communications. You need to make it crystal clear to your tenants exactly what their responsibilities around the house are, regardless of their nationality.
Fixflo’s online reporting system is available in over 40 languages and lets tenants know exactly what they are responsible for fixing, so you won’t be bothered with calls about changing lightbulbs. It also provides simple self-help steps to fix basic problems so tenants all around the world can be part of their own solutions. A tool like this can prove invaluable to international students who may think that even a basic instruction manual reads like double dutch!
Obviously there are a number of other things to consider when it comes to deciding to enter the student letting market like late night check-ins after they arrive at the airport. Our point is simply that if you do decide to get into this market, don’t be put off the international quotient. In this instance, it might just pay not just to go local…
If you’re a landlord in the student lettings market find an agency in your area who has invested in a Fixflo system to maintain your property more effectively.
You May Also Enjoy
Landlords and tenants advised to work together to get through extreme heatwaves
With some areas set to be hotter than Portugal this week, lettings and estate agents across the UK are issuing advice to protect properties ahead of extreme weather Prolonged periods of hot weather across the UK are placing additional pressure on homes, from overheating and poor ventilation to damage caused by extreme temperatures. Today, lettings…
Read More 
Nearly half of UK home listings fail to sell
A London estate agent has warned that thousands of homeowners across the UK are pricing themselves out of the market by setting asking prices that no longer reflect what buyers are willing to pay. The warning comes after new analysis by Zoopla, covering more than two million property listings between 2023 and 2026, found that…
Read More 
Lowest number of new build developments coming to market since 2017
New analysis from the UK’s largest property platform Rightmove reveals that the number of new build housing developments coming to market is at its lowest level since January 2017 The figures are despite the government’s target to build 1.5 million homes over the course of this parliament Higher mortgage rates continue to set a challenging…
Read More 
What Every Estate Agent Should Tell Clients Before Moving Day
For most estate agents, the job is done once contracts are exchanged, completion takes place, and the keys are handed over. For your client, however, that’s when one of the biggest challenges begins. Moving day has the power to turn months of excitement into an incredibly stressful experience, or a smooth finish to what has…
Read More 
Breaking Property News 9/7/26
Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X. PropTech is evolving but WhatsApp is still winning the Property transaction battle A home-moving process that a decade of PropTech failed to fix Thought leadership by Olivier Jauniaux Founder of NestLink There are a particular series of messages, somewhere in every property chain, that decides whether…
Read More 
Heatwaves haven’t diminished love for south-facing gardens
The latest research from Yopa reveals that despite 81% of people saying they have been avoiding their garden during the recent heatwaves, south-facing gardens continue to be the preferred orientation of choice for UK homeowners, attracting house price premiums of over £20,000 on average. However, the insight from Yopa also suggests that should heatwaves become…
Read More