Student Accommodation Seeks Approval to Rent to General Public

The management of Paradise Student Village, a 1,040-bed student accommodation complex located just outside Coventry city centre, which commenced operations six years ago, is requesting authorization to lease rooms to the general public. However, since 2020, the development has experienced significant vacancies, with one-fifth of its capacity remaining unoccupied, a figure that increased to over one-third during the most recent academic year. In response to hundreds of vacant rooms, Axos Student Living, the managing entity, has submitted a request to Coventry City Council for permission to utilize rooms within the building for short-term rentals. The application submitted to Coventry City Council specifies the company’s intention to rent rooms to individuals who are not students for periods of up to three months per tenancy. Axos Student Living has cautioned that this ongoing issue could lead to financial challenges, potentially necessitating the sale or closure of the property. Furthermore, the company emphasized that only unoccupied rooms situated within a single block would be offered to the public, ensuring that students would reside in distinct flats and on separate floors from individuals not engaged in full-time education. Earlier this year, submitted plans indicated that other student accommodation facilities in the city, which have opened in recent years, are also encountering difficulties in achieving full occupancy. According to council reports, the demand for such housing has decreased, attributed to the impact of the pandemic and an overabundance of student accommodation options within the city. This report was compiled by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, an entity that covers local councils and various public service organizations. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.