STUDENTS are 'flooding' the Bournemouth rental market, according to a recent study.

The Bournemouth rental market has been found to be one of the most densely populated by students in the country.

Our coastal town has been named as one of the hottest for students with one of the most densely populated rental markets in the country, according to UniHomes. 

The student rental hotspots index by UniHomes looks at the UK’s top 100 universities, highlighting which are currently seeing the highest demand for student rentals.

This demand is based on the number of student homes listed on the market that have already had a let agreed as a percentage of total stock available.

Which towns are the most desirable?

The research shows that when it comes to the university town with the highest levels of student rental demand, Chichester ranks top, with agents seeing a huge 92 per-cent of all properties listed already being snapped up by students.

Falmouth is the second hottest market for student rental demand, with 78 per-cent of all accommodation already taken. Both are relatively small university towns which highlights why student rental stock might be in short supply.

In terms of the larger university towns to see the highest demand, York, Durham, Lancaster, Bournemouth, Bristol, Exeter and Bath all rank in the top 10.

The Bournemouth rental market sees a whopping 63 per-cent of property snapped up by students.

Here are the top 10 towns in the UK for student led demand: 

Bournemouth Echo:

Image - UniHomes

Co-founder of UniHomes, Phil Greaves, said: "It may seem like a while away, but the new academic year is fast approaching and this means an uplift in the number of students searching the rental market for a term-time home.

"Demand for student accommodation remains very high despite the ongoing uncertainty caused by Covid.

"Where students traditionally may have settled for cheaper or smaller accommodation, the focus in recent months has been very much on finding a home which they aspire to spend a greater proportion of their time whilst studying.

"This direct influence due to lockdown restrictions and the requirement of remote learning means there has also been a focus on larger homes with four to five bedrooms or more, to help maintain the social aspect of living together with friends.

"We anticipate the strong demand for high quality HMO houses to increase, as the situation for UK students continues to improve with a return to face to face lectures over the coming months, taking us one step further towards normality.

This presents a great opportunity for landlords, who can minimise any pandemic impact caused to rental income, by taking advantage of this influx of student interest.”