Greenwich (Woolwich) Student Accommodation Market Report H1 2026
Student demand, the planning pipeline, sold prices and secured finance in Greenwich (Woolwich)'s student districts, 1 January to 30 June 2026.
Local evidence for Greenwich (Woolwich): HESA enrolments, the observed planning register extract, HM Land Registry sales and Companies House charges in the student postcode districts, plus dated public sources. Read the methodology.
22,000 full-time students anchor the Greenwich (Woolwich) market.
HESA's 2023/24 statistics record about 22,000 full-time higher education students across University of Greenwich, of whom roughly 7,000 (31.8%) are international.[D1] The same approximate series shows year-on-year growth of about 2.5%. 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
No new student-capacity applications were received in H1 2026.
Between 1 January and 30 June 2026, Greenwich received 2 student-related planning records. After manual review, 0 applications proposed new or additional student capacity. The rest were condition discharges, amendments, operational works or consultations from neighbouring authorities, which we exclude so that a scheme counts once.[D3]
Greenwich's register feed cuts proposal descriptions at about 80 characters, so our keyword screen is likely to miss some student-related applications. Treat the counts here as a minimum.
Over the twelve months to 30 June 2026, the same registers show 1 new-capacity application, against 0 applications 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 Greenwich (Woolwich).
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.
| Measure | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advertised PBSA rents, StuRents 'Greenwich' search area live listings (22 properties; area includes New Cross Road/Trundleys Road listings, not borough-bounded) | £240–£399 (12 of 22 listings shown; mix of fixed and 'from' prices) per person per week | listings at 2026-09-25 | StuRents[E2] |
| Average annual PBSA rent, London | £13,595 per year | 2024/25 academic year | Property Week (citing Unipol and HEPI reports)[E3] |
Flats in Greenwich (Woolwich)'s student districts sold at a median of £399,387 in H1 2026.
HM Land Registry recorded 386 standard residential sales in the student postcode districts (SE10 and SE18) with completion dates in H1 2026, including 228 flats and 140 terraced houses.[D2] Flats and terraces are the closest proxy for small student investment stock: the Land Registry does not identify HMOs.
| Type | H1 2026 | H1 2025 | Change | 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flats | £399,387 | £435,000 | -8.2% | £399,387 |
| Terraced houses | £532,500 | £544,100 | -2.1% | £527,500 |
| All types | £440,000 | £465,000 | £449,750 |
Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data, transactions to 2026-07-30. Transaction-sample medians, not a constant-quality index or a PBSA valuation. † fewer than 30 sales. Recent months are incomplete because registrations lag completions, so we do not compare sales volumes year on year.
The median flat sale was 8.2% 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.
New-build sales made up 0.5% of recorded sales in these districts in H1 2026.
219 property charges were registered in Greenwich (Woolwich)'s student districts in H1 2026.
Companies House recorded 219 charges created in H1 2026 over property in these districts, across 165 borrowing companies, +48.0% on H1 2025 (148).[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.
| Lender type | H1 2026 | H1 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Specialist banks | 96 | 49 |
| Bridging lenders | 65 | 52 |
| Not in our lender register | 37 | 29 |
| High-street banks | 20 | 14 |
| Other registered lenders | 1 | 1 |
Lender types come from the Construction Capital lender register, matched on the person entitled to the charge. Individual lenders are not named. 'Not in our lender register' includes individuals, private companies and some banks.
Of the charges we could match to a lender type, 88.5% were held by specialist banks, development, bridging or private funders rather than high-street banks. Bridging and development lenders alone accounted for 65 charges, against 55 in H1 2025.
HMO activity and local policy shape small-scale student investment.
Across Greenwich, 57 applications in H1 2026 proposed a change of use to a house in multiple occupation, 29 of them in the student districts. Of those decided, 23.1% were approved.[D3]
Local policy
- London Plan H15: affordable student accommodation: ASA is rooms let at or below 55% of the maximum London maintenance loan for living costs; at least 35% ASA (50% on public or suitable industrial land) makes a scheme eligible for the fast-track route, otherwise viability-tested.[E4]
- London Plan H15: nominations agreements: Most PBSA bedspaces, including all ASA, must be secured through a nominations agreement with a higher education provider, unless built by an HEP for its own needs.[E4]
- Affordable student rooms in Greenwich approvals: The Speedy Hire approval secured 67 of 190 rooms as affordable, defined as up to 55% of the annual student maintenance loan under London Plan rules.[E1]
Schemes shaping Greenwich (Woolwich)'s student housing supply.
| Scheme | Beds | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electric Works, Woolwich[E5] | 930 | approved | Approved by Royal Borough of Greenwich (reported 5 Dec 2025; status as at that date) with 425 co-living studios and 93 homes (40% affordable tenures); up to 23 storeys; £425m scheme. |
| Riverside House, Beresford Street, Woolwich[E6] | 332 | approved | With 265-room hotel; approved Jan 2025, target completion Sept 2027. Status as at source date (2025-01-16). |
| Former Catholic Club, Beresford Street, Woolwich[E7] | 299 | under construction (as at 16 Sept 2025) | Exterior emerging from scaffolding as at 16 Sept 2025; 299 rooms on former Catholic Club site, Beresford Street; a further 120 rooms proposed next door. |
| Catholic Club extension, Beresford Street[E8] | 120 | reported expansion (approval not stated in cited source) | Extension adding 120 beds, taking the Beresford Street site total to 419 (as at 11 Jul 2025 source). |
| Speedy Hire site, Woolwich Road, East Greenwich[E1] | 190 | approved | Three blocks; 67 rooms affordable under London Plan rules. Status as at source date (2025-02-26). |
Compiled from public planning records and press coverage; status as reported on the source date.
What the H1 2026 evidence means for Greenwich (Woolwich).
- International students make up about 31.8% of full-time enrolments, so visa and recruitment policy is a material demand sensitivity here.
- No new-capacity applications in the half means little near-term planning supply from these registers, although consented schemes from earlier periods may still be delivering.
- Specialist and non-bank lenders hold most matched charges in these districts, consistent with a market where smaller and transitional assets are financed outside the high street.
This report describes observed data. It is not a valuation, a forecast of returns, investment advice or an offer of finance.
Financing student accommodation in Greenwich (Woolwich).
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 Greenwich (Woolwich): SE10 and SE18. Curated around university campuses and the main student-let neighbourhoods.
Sources
Source dates and observation periods are stated separately. Database findings describe the observed extract; public sources are attributed to their publishers.
- [D1]Higher Education Student Statistics
HESA (approximate, CC BY 4.0) · 2023/24
HESA, Higher Education Student Statistics 2023/24 (approximate, CC-BY 4.0) - [D2]Price Paid Data
HM Land Registry · Transactions to July 2026
Standard residential sales in SE10 and SE18. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. - [D3]Planning application registers
Greenwich · 1 January–30 June 2026
Observed extract of public planning registers held in the Construction Capital data lake; student records manually classified. - [D4]Register of charges
Companies House · Snapshot 2026-08-01
Charges registered against property in the student postcode districts. Lender identities withheld; categories only. - [E1]Greenwich student blocks approved despite councillors' concerns
The Greenwich Wire · 2025-02-26
Scope: borough - [E2]Student accommodation in Greenwich
StuRents · live listing; accessed 2026-09-25
Scope: region - [E3]Student accommodation rents rise sharply but incentives grow faster amid London affordability crisis
Property Week (citing Unipol and HEPI reports) · 2025-08-11
Scope: region - [E4]Greater London Authority
Greater London Authority · 2024-10
- [E5]Housing Today
Housing Today · 2025-12-05
- [E6]The Greenwich Wire
The Greenwich Wire · 2025-01-16
- [E7]Murky Depths
Murky Depths · 2025-09-16
- [E8]Global Student Living
Global Student Living · 2025-07-11
Published by Student Accommodation Finance, a trading name of Lenzie Consulting Ltd. Original research and analysis, with public sources attributed to their publishers. This report is market commentary, not a valuation, personal investment recommendation or offer of finance. Lenzie Consulting Ltd is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Individual lenders are not identified.