Experience Invest Shares Why property investors should opt for Cardiff over London

Welcome to the Experience Invest blog. Experience Invest is a UK property consultancy that provides industry-leading UK property investment opportunities. The UK student property market has gone from strength to strength in recent years, and its ever-changing landscape is certainly an interesting one to watch. One of the most notable trends has been the gradual shift away from the traditional dominance of London and southeast England, towards regional towns and cities across the country – many of which are undergoing impressive regeneration efforts and attracting students and investors alike..

Cardiff

In recent years, Cardiff has emerged as one of the more promising UK cities for student property investment. Not only does the city boast three universities and a student population of 43,000, but it is also responsible for driving nationwide house price growth.

A recent report from Savills stated that there are now just over 42,000 full-time students studying in Cardiff, the vast majority of whom attend either the University of Cardiff or Cardiff Metropolitan University. With only 8,300 purpose-built student beds in the city, there is understandably a significant demand for student property in Cardiff and the surrounding areas, which has resulted in an increase of student rental fees of between 3-4% throughout the city last year.

The city has another incredibly attractive quality: low entry prices. Property buyers can secure a home in Cardiff for an average of £211,800, almost half that of London (which stands at approximately £483,800). This creates huge potential for income generation, particularly within the student housing sector, considering the increasingly vocal demand from the city’s growing student population. As it stands, more than half of people studying in Cardiff can’t access PBSA and are instead forced to rely on HMOs; residential properties, which have been converted to accommodate students. However, many of these have fallen below licensing standards.