Brighter Landlording

Should I rent to uni students?

by Karleen Jentz, Copywriter 17 February 2017

Students across Australia are awakening from their summer slumber, dusting off their laptops and preparing to hit the books again when uni resumes this month.

While landlords might shudder at the thought of uni student tenants, it’s worth taking another look at Brisbane’s changing student accommodation market. Not every student pad looks like a frat house these days.

Brisbane’s international student market is booming, and has been for some years now with students accounting for 15% of overseas migrants in 2014-15, according to the Real Estate Conversation.

By April last year there were 72,316 international students enrolled to study in Queensland. That’s a lot of tenants!

Inner city developers have jumped on the trend and Brisbane has seen a rise in purpose-built student accommodation in recent years.

But not all students are looking for a slimline desk and single bed in a shoebox-sized pad.

Some segments of the international student market have “substantial funds for daily living expenses” and are renting apartments, townhouses and even houses, observes propertyupdate.com.au.

So should you rent your prized investment property to a student? The answer depends very much on the individual tenant and the important thing is to work with your property manager to make an informed decision, including thorough pre-tenancy checks.

Looking to rent your property? Talk to us about landlording.

Looking for a new rental property? Check our listings for rent.