City of London Student Accommodation Market Report H1 2026

415,000 full-time students anchor the City of London market.

HESA's 2023/24 statistics record about 415,000 full-time higher education students across City, University of London, Imperial College London, King's College London, Queen Mary University of London and University College London, of whom roughly 165,000 (39.8%) are international.^[D1] The same approximate series shows year-on-year growth of about 3%. These are enrolment figures, not a count of students needing a bed: commuting, postgraduate and part-time students change the local ratio.

Supply against demand

• New PBSA beds delivered in London in 2025: 4,350 beds (2025).^[E1]
• PBSA beds under construction in London: 14,600 beds (Q4 2025).^[E1]
• PBSA bedrooms approved in London since London Plan 2021 adoption: 26,000+ bedrooms (2021 to Q1 2025).^[E2]

1 application sought new student capacity in H1 2026.

Between 1 January and 30 June 2026, City of London received 8 student-related planning records. After manual review, 1 application proposed new or additional student capacity (1 approved at the time of extraction). The rest were condition discharges, amendments, operational works or consultations from neighbouring authorities, which we exclude so that a scheme counts once.^[D3]

Over the twelve months to 30 June 2026, the same registers show 2 new-capacity applications stating 127 beds, against 1 application to relax student-only occupancy or move buildings out of student use.

For comparison, H1 2025 saw 0 new-capacity applications in the same registers. Counts this small move sharply year to year and are not a trend on their own.

Published evidence on rents and occupancy in City of London.

Local rent and occupancy evidence comes from published research and operator or university disclosures. We quote it as published, with its period and scope, and do not blend sources.

Flats in City of London's student districts sold at a median of £639,500 in H1 2026.

HM Land Registry recorded 122 standard residential sales in the student postcode districts (EC1, EC2, EC3 and EC4) with completion dates in H1 2026, including 120 flats and 2 terraced houses.^[D2] Flats and terraces are the closest proxy for small student investment stock: the Land Registry does not identify HMOs.

The median flat sale was 7.7% below the H1 2025 median. Mix matters at this scale: one new-build block or a cluster of ex-student flats can move a district median.

No standard new-build sales had been registered in these districts for H1 2026 at extraction. New-build completions are often registered months later, so this does not mean none took place, and the medians above mostly reflect second-hand stock.

126 property charges were registered in City of London's student districts in H1 2026.

Companies House recorded 126 charges created in H1 2026 over property in these districts, across 108 borrowing companies, +31.2% on H1 2025 (96).^[D4] Charges are security instruments. They show that secured finance was put in place, not how much was lent or on what terms, and one facility can create several charges.

Of the charges we could match to a lender type, 45% were held by specialist banks, development, bridging or private funders rather than high-street banks. Bridging and development lenders alone accounted for 11 charges, against 8 in H1 2025.

HMO activity and local policy shape small-scale student investment.

Across City of London, 0 applications in H1 2026 proposed a change of use to a house in multiple occupation, 0 of them in the student districts.^[D3]

Local policy

• City Plan 2040 Policy HS6 (student accommodation): PBSA must support the City's business function, not cause loss of viable office floorspace or permanent housing, and be backed by City or CAZ institutions; 35% should be affordable student accommodation, with nomination agreements required for all ASA.^[E4]
• City Plan 2040 status: The City Corporation's plan page gave adoption as anticipated in summer 2026 after 2025 examination hearings; the plan will replace the Local Plan 2015.^[E5]
• London Plan H15 affordable student accommodation: ASA is defined as rooms let at or below 55% of the maximum London maintenance loan for living costs for that academic year; at least 35% ASA (50% on public or suitable industrial land) makes a scheme eligible for the fast-track route, otherwise ASA is tested through viability.^[E6]

Schemes shaping City of London's student housing supply.

What the H1 2026 evidence means for City of London.

• International students make up about 39.8% of full-time enrolments, so visa and recruitment policy is a material demand sensitivity here.
• New-capacity applications continued in H1 2026. Delivery depends on decisions, viability and funding, so applications are not completions.

Financing student accommodation in City of London.

Student accommodation finance covers development loans for new PBSA, bridging for acquisitions and conversions, and term or investment loans once a scheme is let. Read our finance services, or the H1 2026 UK student accommodation finance report for the national picture.

How this report was built.

• Planning. Raw council planning exports in the Construction Capital lake. Student records are keyword-screened then manually classified; only primary capacity applications count towards new provision. Bed figures are as stated in proposal text, excluding hybrid schemes that also propose dwellings, and are a floor, not a total. Councils count only where the scrape window spans the whole period.
• Sold prices. HMLR Price Paid, standard (category A) residential sales in curated student postcode districts. Flats and terraces are the student-let proxy: HMLR cannot identify HMOs. Transaction-sample medians, not a constant-quality index or a PBSA valuation. Registrations lag completions by weeks to months, so the latest months understate final counts; do not read falling counts as falling liquidity.
• Charges. Companies House charges registered against property in the location's student postcode districts (charged-property postcode). Charges are security instruments, not loans: no amounts, LTVs or rates. Persons entitled can be security trustees. Lender categories come from the Construction Capital lender register; 'unmatched' = not in the register. Snapshot 2026-08-01.
• Evidence. Rents, occupancy, schemes and policy are quoted from dated public sources, researched 2026-09-25, and are not adjusted.
• Geography. Student postcode districts for City of London: EC1, EC2, EC3 and EC4. Curated around university campuses and the main student-let neighbourhoods.