Having previously worked together on a small scale survey in 2010, both Jakuta Ltd and The University of Kent looked to capitalise on this initial information by developing a more extensive, informative and groundbreaking survey in 2011 which would provide an insight into the experience of a student tenant as a whole as well as detail how various factors may influence and affect the market.
Major issues that were focused on were the ways in which students found private accommodation, how aware students were of tenancy deposit and accreditation schemes, what proportion of students have cars, how students finance their rent, how they interact with housemates and local resident neighbours, how the rise in tuition fees may affect the private rental sector and what student satisfaction rates with various aspects of their tenancy were.
To get an accurate overview of the Canterbury student rental market as a whole, a significant number of Canterbury Christ Church students were surveyed in addition to University of Kent students. Additionally, demographic profiling of respondents was undertaken to produce an insight into how issues and factors affect the range of students that Canterbury is home to during term time.
Canterbury City Council figures state that there are 25,353 university students in Canterbury attending one of the city’s three universities – The University of Kent, Canterbury Christ Church and the University of the Creative Arts.
Council figures also state that there are 8577 students living in 2350 houses of multiple occupation (HMO’s) in Canterbury, creating an average of 3.65 students per household.
Average rent per room (not inclusive of bills) in Canterbury stands at approximately £350 per month, resulting in an average household generating £1228 in rent each month. This