The Changing Landscape of Student Lettings in UWE and Filton: Impact on the North Bristol Rental Market
The student lettings market in and around Filton and around UWE looks to be going through a shift this year. With UWE itself building a significant number of student accommodation blocks that have just come onto the market for the 2024/25 student year, landlords are feeling the squeeze. UWE has added thousands of rooms to its portfolio, and while these are purpose-built for students, it’s created a bit of a surplus in the private rental sector in North Bristol. UWE – Frenchay Campus
Student numbers are also reportedly dropping year on year – unconfirmed but echoed by many in the industry. This combination of oversupply and fewer students is leading to student houses being offered at under-market rents. Void periods, a landlord’s nightmare, are becoming a real risk. Many property owners are choosing to lower their rents just to keep their properties filled, a situation that would have been unheard of just a few years ago when demand far outstripped supply. One solution has been to bus students to Newport for somewhere to live!
But what does this mean for property investors and developers? It could lead to some pulling out of the student market in North Bristol altogether. With the appeal of strong, reliable yields fading, investors may look for greener pastures elsewhere, perhaps shifting focus to other types of rental properties, like HMOs aimed at professionals or family homes. Serviced accommodation, a growing sector that gets around HMO licensing could be the next area we see really take off in the city.
For those staying put, it’s likely we’ll see a greater focus on upgrading existing properties to stand out from the university-owned accommodations. Quality, not quantity, will become the new battleground. Not everyone wants to live on campus, preferring homes with friends – but that number will be limited. The next obvious move is to swap from student to professionals, targeting post-graduates in the city working at places like Rolls Royce and Airbus.
This has knock-on effects for the wider rental market in North Bristol. As landlords shift focus or exit entirely, we could see a rebalancing of rental prices for non-student properties. For tenants looking to rent in areas like Filton, this could be an opportunity as more high-quality, competitively priced rentals become available.
Bristol Uni Follows Suit: The Next Wave of Change
Looking ahead, Bristol University is planning to build a significant amount of their own accommodation in the city centre in the coming years. The Galleries redevelopment and the Temple Quarter Marsh Mills Development due in 2026. While this might seem like a solution to the ever-growing demand for student housing in Bristol, it could lead to a situation similar to what we are seeing now in Filton with UWE. If Bristol Uni builds hundreds, if not thousands of additional student rooms, the private student rental market could face a similar struggle with oversupply.
For landlords in areas like Clifton, Cotham, and Redland, the next few years might start to look a lot like Filton does today – more rooms than students, driving down rents and potentially causing longer void periods. Investors who have traditionally relied on high yields from student lets may start feeling the pinch, and as with North Bristol, we could see them moving out of the student market entirely.
This potential shift could ripple through the broader Bristol property market, leading to a reallocation of investment and a greater emphasis on diversification. Properties aimed at professionals or families could see increased demand as investors pivot. The professional HMO market, in particular, might experience a surge as landlords look for more stable tenant bases and longer tenancy durations.
In both North Bristol and the city centre, this trend of universities developing their own accommodation could lead to a fundamental change in the way investors approach student property. Those who adapt quickly and consider alternative strategies will likely be the ones who thrive, while those who remain focused solely on student lets might face increasing challenges.
The student lettings market in Bristol is changing, and both investors and developers will need to keep a close eye on these shifts to stay ahead of the game. If you need help with student property management in Bristol, please talk to our experts today.
