$80 more for uni students

INTERNATIONAL students are paying $80 a week more to live on the Gold Coast than they would in Brisbane – and that’s if they can find accommodation.

An updated briefing by Study Gold Coast to city councillors has highlighted concerning trends, including students not wanting to share accommodation after Covid-19.

Study Gold Coast CEO Alfred Slogrove told the economy, tourism and events committee accommodation was needed for students.

“Affordable accommodation is an issue throughout this city, and throughout South East Queensland,” he said on Wednesday.

“We feel there is an opportunity to ... look at how we get people to invest, whether it’s private or government, whether it’s the education sector themselves investing in large-scale student accommodation.”

Mr Slogrove said a consultancy, Barclays, would look to build a business case to take to providers and the councillors.

“Already we’ve seen accommodation here on the Gold Coast is $80 more expensive a week than in the Brisbane CBD for a student. We have to work through that. There are some plans, including at Bond University to build 800 units that hasn’t quite got across the line yet. We will work with them to ensure those opportunities come to fruition.”

Mr Slowgrove said five entities operated large-scale student accommodation across Brisbane.

“They are running specials for $169 a week to attract international students to stay in those facilities,” he said.

He said operators like Urbanest had “done it tough” during lockdown but were offering discounts for shared affordable accommodation.

He said Barclays would determine the need and what was available, and if the accommodation could be provided here.

“We know on Flatmates.com there is student accommodation, but it is at Nerang (away from universities) and a bit piecemeal and sporadic, and home-stay families that take students as well.”

He said five or six projects were “teetering on being developed”.

Southport councillor Brooke Patterson, who has been at Study Gold Coast boardroom meetings, said the ability for students to access accommodation was the biggest risk to the sector returning to growth.

She said the city had an accommodation vacancy rate of 0.6 per cent.

“That’s five times tighter than what’s considered a healthy market,” she said.

Cr Patterson said the other trend since covid was a greater demand for single spaces.

“Where people were before more comfortable with a shared bathroom, that’s not wanted.”