It makes an already frustrating process even more of a pain
YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE ISSUES THAT COUNT
Each time I spot a particularly nice looking place it turns out to be in a student-only building
There is a term known as ‘studentification’. It is a bit like gentrification, except occurs when an area becomes dominated by student-only housing. Which makes it even more damaging for the local population as students are transient and on the whole don’t live in the city full-time.
Portsmouth is starting to feel like a city dominated by studentification. You can see it in the skyline, with all the new tower blocks built for students.
But it is most evident when you are trying to look for places to rent.
I have been searching for a studio or one-bed flat to move into – I am so tired of flat-sharing, especially as I love to cook and keep having to worry about other people trashing the kitchen before I can start to make my meals.
However, I have been left increasingly frustrated in my search attempts.
Each time I spot a particularly nice looking place, which looks well kept and is furnished, it turns out to be in a student-only building. One with tons of amenities and luxuries, but one kept exclusively for students.
It is extremely annoying. Especially when the options for professionals are far more limited – or require furnishing, turning moving into an even more expensive endeavour.
Why should all the nicest studio apartments be simply kept for students alone? If you are going to build huge tower blocks, with services like concierge and gyms and coffee shops, why should locals not be able to take advantage of that?
It makes an already frustrating process of having to move, even more of a pain.
This is not me trying to say that students should be forced to live in hovels or anything, but surely there should almost be a one for them, one for us, rule with these developments.
If you are building a swanky apartment building that you are only going to rent out to students, then surely you should build similar high quality options for local renters?
I just want to live in a nice, clean and well-kept studio apartment, without having to worry about messy housemates.
Is this too much to ask? Clearly, yes.