Unite Students Accommodation Matters Unite Students

It’s the episode you’ve been waiting for…
An explosion in student numbers. A contraction in houses of multiple occupancy (HMO). Challenges to building new developments. Any one of these could have created a PBSA supply issue – but together, they’ve created a crisis in many cities.
Our expert panel looks at how this came about, the ways in which this is playing out in some of those cities, what the data is telling us for a longer term picture and - most importantly - some of the potential solutions to this issue.
Hosted by Jenny Shaw, this month’s panel includes:
Sarah Jones, Partner at Cushman & Wakefield
Iain Garfield, Director of Estates and Facilities at Newcastle University
Simon Jones, Group HE Director at Unite Students
Eleanor Whitford Kelly, Market Intelligence Manager at Unite Students
Accommodation Matters brings together sector experts to discuss the Higher Education sector’s key issues through the lens of student accommodation. This episode was recorded on 15th April 2024 and produced by Ed Palmer.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are the personal views of individual guest speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Unite Students and/or Unite Group plc.
 
Resources
Cushman & Wakefield’s UK Student Accommodation Report for 2023 is available to download from their website.
Unipol’s 2023 Ten Cities Rent Survey can be downloaded from the Unipol website.
UCAS’ 2024 cycle applicant figures can be found on the UCAS website.
More information about the joint venture between Unite Students and Newcastle University is available on Unite Students’ website.

The 2023 Student Academic Experience Survey showed that 1 in 4 students feels lonely most or all of the time – and that number is growing. With loneliness carrying the same health risks as smoking 15 cigarettes a day and having a substantial impact on mental health, academic performance and student retention, this month we’re asking: how can Higher Education end student loneliness?
Our expert panel discusses which student groups are most at risk of loneliness (and when), what support exists for students who are lonely, how to help students integrate into the student community, and how the sector can mitigate contributing factors such as the cost of living crisis and proximity to campus.
Host Jen Steadman, Senior HE Communications Executive at Unite Students, also shares her personal experience of loneliness at university.
This month’s panel includes:
Nicola Frampton, Insight Manager at Student Minds
Sarah Djuric, Residence Life Manager at the University of Leeds
Jenny Dalzell, Regional Student Support Manager at Unite Students
Accommodation Matters brings together sector experts to discuss the Higher Education sector’s key issues through the lens of student accommodation. This episode was recorded on 11th March 2024 and produced by Ed Palmer.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are the personal views of individual guest speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Unite Students and/or Unite Group plc.
 
Resources
Student Minds’ Student Space website provides students with support information, advice and tailored resources, as well as signposting to university services.
Wonkhe’s student loneliness research, ‘Only the Lonely’, is available to download here. [2019]
Unite Students’ Applicant Index, Living Black at University and neurodivergence reports are all available from the Research section of the Unite Group website. [2022/2023]
The Student Academic Experience Survey can be found at HEPI’s website. [2023]
Information about Student Minds’ research with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is available on the gov.uk website. [2023]
You can learn more about Unite Students’ Resident Ambassador programme on the Unite Group website. [2023]

Grenfell Tower (2017). The Cube student accommodation fire, Bolton (2019). Two disasters that reshaped the landscape for building safety in student accommodation, and led to stringent new legislation in the Building Safety Act.
But what does the Building Safety Act actually mean for purpose-built student accommodation? How can we trust that students are safe in our buildings? And how can you make sure you’re compliant with the regulations? We’ve got you covered with our 40 minute deep-dive into the issue.
Our expert panel discusses the benefits and challenges thrown up by the Act, the practical stages of compliance, who’s accountable for what, what it all means for students, and what the future holds for building safety.
Hosted by Jenny Shaw, HE External Engagement Director at Unite Students, the panel includes:
Ian Fletcher, Director of Policy at British Property Federation (BPF)
Ian Bamforth, Head of Estates & Facilities at Unite Students
Abi Yeo, Performance Quality & Systems Manager at Unite Students
Special guest Jo Blair, Head of Quality & Standards at Unite Students, also shares how we put together a resident engagement strategy to keep 70,000 students informed about building safety, as required by the Act. All of Unite Students' buildings are safe to live in.
Accommodation Matters brings together sector experts to discuss the Higher Education sector’s key issues through the lens of student accommodation. This episode was recorded on 9th February 2024 and produced by Ed Palmer.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are the personal views of individual guest speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Unite Students and/or Unite Group plc.
 
Resources
The British Property Federation’s Building Safety video series can be found at their YouTube channel.
Unipol are running an in-person training event called ‘Getting up to speed with the Building Safety Act’ on Thursday 29th February – find out more from the Unipol website.
Unite Students’ Home Charter is available on our student website, along with more information about the Building Safety Act and our resident engagement strategy.

It’s the final episode in our series on the future of sustainability in purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA)! The festive season is a season of giving, and so this time we’re looking at social impact – giving back to local communities by making a positive difference.
Our guests dive into their own social impact initiatives, as well as student engagement, their experiences of ‘town and gown’ tensions, and what the future might look for social impact within Higher Education and PBSA.
Hosted by Jen Steadman, Higher Education Comms Executive at Unite Students, this episode’s guests include:
Kimberly Eyre, Residential Life Manager at Queen Mary University of London
Mike Leonard, Residential Property Manager at the University of Leeds
Rebecca Rymsza, Head of Brand and Communications at the Unite Foundation
Ivy Yarrow, Social Impact Manager at Unite Students
Special guest Darren Way, founder of youth intervention charity Streets of Growth, also joins us to talk about how the charity has benefited from finding a stable home at Unite Students’ Hayloft Point property in Aldgate, London.
Accommodation Matters brings together sector experts to discuss the Higher Education sector’s key issues through the lens of student accommodation. This episode was recorded on 7th December 2023 and produced by Ed Palmer.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are the personal views of individual guest speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Unite Students and/or Unite Group plc.
 
Resources
The 2023 Applicant Index report is available to download now from the Unite Students website.
To find out more about the Unite Foundation's scholarship project, please visit the Foundation website; the All of Us community for care-experienced and estranged students can be found here.
2021/22 report 'The Economic and Social Impact of Queen Mary University of London' can be downloaded from the Queen Mary university website.
You can learn more about the North Hill Well Wood project, run by the University of Leeds and Unite Students, here.
For more information on Streets of Growth, visit their website now.

Hot off the launch of the new Living Black at University Commission report, we’re continuing our focus on the future of sustainability within purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) with this month’s episode on race and inclusion in student accommodation.
With Black students being the UK’s fastest-growing student demographic, greater inclusion of Black students is increasingly important for those who own and operate purpose-built student accommodation.
Our guests explore the impact of student accommodation on the awarding gap, what steps the purpose-built student accommodation sector has made towards greater race equity since Living Black at University was published in February 2022, and how universities and accommodation providers can make further strides towards race equity in future.
Hosted by Jenny Shaw, HE External Engagement Director at Unite Students, this episode’s guests include:
tara leach, Senior Advisor (Equality Charters) at Advance HE
Rebecca O’Hare, Interim Deputy Director of Residential Services at University of Leeds
Sam Kingsley, Head of Belonging and Engagement at Unite Students
Jenny also shares some interview clips from March’s Living Black at University Conference, speaking to Andy Owusu, former Office for Students Mental Health Project Officer for Black Students at London South Bank University, and Osaro Otobo, Consultant at Halpin Partnership and project manager on the original Living Black at University report.
Accommodation Matters brings together sector experts to discuss the Higher Education sector’s key issues through the lens of student accommodation. This episode was recorded on 10th November 2023 and produced by Ed Palmer.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are the personal views of individual guest speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Unite Students and/or Unite Group plc.
 
Resources
The Living Black at University Commission report, published on 14th November 2023, is available for download now: https://www.unitegroup.com/living-black-commission-report
The original Living Black at University report, published in February 2022, can be found at the Unite Group website: https://www.unitegroup.com/living-black-at-university
More information on Advance HE’s Athena SWAN and Race Equality Charters is available at the Advance HE website: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/charters
‘Meeting the needs of neurodivergent students’, a March 2023 report on neurodivergent students’ needs in student accommodation, can be downloaded from the Unite Group website: https://www.unitegroup.com/neurodivergent-students-report
The Unite Students Commission on Living Black at University website, featuring downloadable Commission resources, can be found here: https://www.unitegroup.com/unite-students-commission-on-living-black-at-university

Unite Students has committed to becoming a net-zero carbon organisation by 2030 – with new developments in particular being targeted for a reduction in carbon. But what does a sustainable new development look like in practice right now, what solutions are there to key sources of embodied carbon, and what are some of the challenges being faced when it comes to building sustainable new developments?
Building on our recent ‘The future of sustainability in student accommodation’ episode of Accommodation Matters, we’re now sharing our full interview with Nicholas Pigula, Sustainability Construction Manager at Unite Students.
Hosted by Jenny Shaw, HE External Engagement Director at Unite Students, tune in now to find out:
What we’re currently focusing on to create more sustainable buildings
How we’re targeting reductions in embodied carbon
His favourite examples of net-zero developments
What sustainable features have been built into our newest property, Nottingham’s Morriss House
What we’re focusing on next in our drive for net-zero
Our Sustainable Construction Framework is coming soon – sign up here to be updated when it’s live.
Accommodation Matters brings together sector experts to discuss the Higher Education sector’s key issues through the lens of student accommodation. This episode was recorded on 13th October 2023 and produced by Ed Palmer.