Transforming student accom in the age of COVID
Student accommodation industry has suffered significantly from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, with occupancy rates dropping and an absence of international students, Victoria has been hit harder than anywhere else in the country and Accom News wondered how operators faring and what does the future hold?
Ricky Phoon is the director of property development brand, BEKL who currently own/operate the Masonic Residence student accommodation in Malvern East, with another student accommodation development in the pipeline, amongst a number of other well-appointed developments across Victoria.
He told us: “The student accommodation industry has seen a huge drop in occupancy rates following the implementation of travel bans and restrictions, its impact being felt nation-wide. Construction of new student accommodation developments have also been affected, with the number of workers allowed on site significantly dropping in the last few weeks alone as a result of Stage 4 lockdown.
“Our student accommodation property, Masonic Residence, offers 86 rooms and currently has 60 students living there, having experienced a drop in occupancy rates following the travel ban. However, we’re lucky our location is close to Monash University and other amenities, so students at our residence have little impact on their day to day living. The higher confirmed cases in Melbourne have however caused many students to travel to different states and study online while they can.
“We’ve also worked with the government to offer rental relief, and have implemented our own support initiatives, including providing students with supermarket gift vouchers to ensure they stay nourished and feel supported during this time and we have provided a bar fridge for every student room to ensure social distancing. All cleaning products have been updated to antibacterial products.
“Students who arrived just before the borders closed are only able to study via online learning, therefore our internet speed has become crucial. BEKL prides itself on providing our students with the latest technology to cope with the worldly changes.”
Accom News asked, what does the future hold?
Ricky replied: “The travel ban physically blocks overseas students from coming into Australia. Unlike hotels where we can rely on the local market, student accommodation predominantly relies on international and interstate students. Operators should not just focus on one or two countries for student intake, rather, open the student intake up to a number of countries to ensure we have the best opportunity to fill spaces.
“Education is a big industry in Australia. As soon as the borders reopen, the occupancy rate should pick up again. To gear up for the next pandemic and protect our students in Australia, we need to look deeper into how to improve and maintain cleanliness of the environment and improving our technology, such as smart systems, touchless control and high speed internet is a must have in the near future.
“More open space has also become important for student accommodation. During lock down, having a private open space or nearby park is extremely important for mental health. BEKL is currently further revising our management plan and house rules to ensure we can maintain the cleanliness of our buildings at the highest level.
“We will also future proof our buildings by introducing advanced technology and will explore deeper with our architect on how we can eliminate cross contamination if there is an outbreak near our student accommodation.”
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