ARTICLES LABELLED WITH TAG student housing

Property Forum’s latest online panel focused on the effects of COVID-19 on alternative asset classes such as student housing and build-to-rent. European investors, regional experts and local developers discussed how the popularity of alternative assets among investors might change once the crisis is over.

Interest in investments in the private student housing sector in Poland is constantly growing. Investors see this market as highly absorptive, which currently satisfies less than 10% of the demand for student accommodation. Significant advantages include forecasts concerning the constantly growing number of foreign students in Poland and attractive rates of return on investment, according to a new report prepared by ThinkCo in cooperation with Golub GetHouse.

Construction of the new Student Depot student housing block in Gdańsk is going faster than planned despite the challenges created by the global COVID-19 pandemic, owner Kajima reports. The facility is due to be complete in the summer, ready to welcome its first students in September 2020.

6B47 Poland has acquired a 0.22 ha site on ul. Grochowska in Warsaw’s Praga Południe district from petrol station operator Circle K for the development of a 12,000 sqm student housing project. The developer was advised by BSWW Legal & Tax, Accace and ó TPA Real Estate Services.

Residential investments in Europe used to be the domain of certain specialised investors but that is now changing as other players that have previously invested exclusively in office or retail are looking at investments in the living sector. Maximilian Mendel, Head of Living Investment at JLL in Poland, talked to Property Forum about current trends in CEE residential investment.

In 2020, student housing markets in Europe are expected to grow stronger with Poland becoming one of the most attractive countries at a continental level. Stefan Kolibar, Head of Marketing at Bonard talked to Property Forum about the trends driving this segment regionally and globally.

Student housing continued its record growth last year, booking over €9bn in international transactions, excluding the US. As student numbers are growing faster than supply, the asset class remains a top-4 sector prospect for investments in 2020, as shown by a recent study carried out by global research specialist Bonard.

Investment manager Corestate Capital Holding S.A. has agreed on a new partnership with Bain Capital Credit. Bain Capital Credit is a leading global credit specialist with approximately €41 billion in assets under management. The agreement establishes a financing partnership in Poland within the micro living sector, specifically to co-invest in properties and convert them into student housing. The partnership has the initial capability to develop up to €500 million GAV. The agreement also includes asset and property management contracts.

In 2019, the Polish housing market experienced an acceleration and increase of projects in the rental and private student housing sectors. Poland is still on the radar of large foreign investors and some of them have been able to conclude spectacular deals. Although potential institutional buyers still aren’t able to purchase turn-key portfolios on an expected scale, and entering the market mostly means building new stock, the institutional rental sector is drawing more and more interest and will undoubtedly become a desired category of safe assets in 2020.

The Catella European Residential (CER) Fund has acquired a mixed-use development project of residential apartments and student accommodation in the Polish city of Kraków for around €20 million from U.S. developer Hines.