Demand for Student Homes Remains Buoyant
Builder and student housing specialist Franklin and Hall has acted swiftly and embarked on a new project to meet the ongoing demand for quality undergraduate homes in the city.
Directors Clive Franklin and Jason Hall, who are celebrating a decade in business, have snapped-up former office accommodation in West Parade, Lincoln, which they are now converting for use by people studying at the University of Lincoln.
They have made their move just weeks after the University was forced to put some students into short-term accommodation.
Commercial agent Banks Long & Co, which handled the sale of 20/22 West Parade, confirmed the deal was completed quickly, which will allow Franklin & Hall to transform the property in time for occupation in mid January.
Banks Long & Co surveyor Matthew Brooks said: “This mid-terraced period building was most recently used as shared office space. However, it was clear from the start of marketing it, that there would be an equal amount of interest from the student housing market, particularly with the much reported under supply of student bedrooms in the city.”
Mr Hall said: “This summer the University of Lincoln set up temporary portacabin-style facilities to house 140 first year students, after an higher than usual number of people requested help to find homes – many at the last minute.
“We are pleased to have been able to build a strong relationship with the university and the student community over recent years and there is obviously a need to provide further properties for this group of people.
20 and 22 West Parade had been knocked into one property for commercial use, but we are reverting it to two separate houses. Each will accommodate six people. We normally let properties ourselves, but these will be rented to the University,” said Mr Hall.
“We have been able to maintain a portfolio of quality properties to meet the needs of students and we believe there is still the potential to provide more,”said Mr Hall, who added that he understands 150 overseas students are due to start their studies at Lincoln in the New Year.
