As student accommodation changeovers ramp up ahead of the start of a new term in September, letting agency Loc8me founder Raffaele Russo (main image), has warned that the Renters’ Rights Bill is already forcing landlords out the market.

With no-fault evictions and fixed-term tenancies set to become law later this year, critics have voiced concern over a reported student housing shortage, further pushing up rents.

But Raffaele, whose national student lettings agency has exchanged keys for over 1,200 properties across just two days, said it’s quality rather than quantity that will become a problem.

“A lot of the conversation is on the availability of supply, when the real issue is the quality of supply,” says Raffaele.

“What we’re seeing is a great deal of Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) which is lying underused because it doesn’t meet students’ needs.

“At Loc8me we have a huge focus on quality housing which actually provides what students want, which is why we saw such a demand for our properties this year.”

Tenant turnover

While students are preparing for a new term ahead, Loc8me are currently taking care of moving out, swapping over and moving in for more than 7,500 beds.

Additional tenant changeover days are planned for the end of July and August, with keys for hundreds more properties to be exchanged by the beginning of the new academic year in September.

However, a recent National Student Accommodation survey predicts a shortfall of around 450,000 beds this year, despite investment in Build-to-Rent assets, including student accommodation, exceeding £10bn last year.

And with more than a third of students still living in private rented accommodation during term time, the question remains – how much impact will the upcoming rental reforms have on the student lettings market?