Student Housing Stands Out

Yardi Matrix Update

By Yardi Blog Staff on Jan 19, 2024 in Matrix

The student housing market jumped into the 2024-2025 leasing season on a high note, with December preleasing well ahead of last year’s figure, according to the latest Yardi Matrix National Student Housing Report. Asking rates also continued to climb, hitting $858 per bed in December and marking a 4.9 percent increase on a year-over-year basis.

The sector was off to a record start, as preleasing for the 2024-2025 school year reached 47.3 percent in December, a nine percent increase over December 2022. The exceptional preleasing indicates a high renewal rate, with 51 markets boasting a 50 percent rate in December and ten schools already at least 75 percent preleased.

Rent growth slowed a bit, falling from 6.4 percent recorded earlier in the leasing cycle to 4.9 percent in December 2023.

“Many of the markets with the fastest preleasing are seeing the strongest rent growth as operators take advantage of the surge in demand. Twenty-seven schools with over 10 percent rent growth in December are, on average, five percent ahead of preleasing last year,” the report states.

Based on data gathered from more than 150 schools, Yard Matrix shows a rebound in enrollment in the current academic year. Enrollment at these schools is up 1.4 percent from last year—almost triple the growth recorded in fall 2022.

Student housing investment is in line with current trends across the real estate industry, as high interest rates continue to impact sales. Preliminary data shows that only 73 student housing properties changed hands in 2023 across Yardi 200, compared to an average of 205 properties sold in 2021 and 2022.

Gain more insight in the new Yardi Matrix National Student Housing Report.

Yardi Matrix offers the industry’s most comprehensive market intelligence tool for investment professionals, equity investors, lenders and property managers who underwrite and manage investments in commercial real estate. Yardi Matrix covers multifamily, student housing, vacant land, industrial, office, retail and self storage property types. Email [email protected], call 480-663-1149 or visit yardimatrix.com to learn more.