Lettings Portal Aimed At Students, Available To Private Landlords Too!
A new property portal, North East-based, Road 51 has recently launched and claims to be the UK's first online portal that helps students to easily find private accommodation in university cities across the country. The good news is that unlike other property listing websites, it can also be used by private landlords, giving students a wider selection of property to choose from.
Road 51 has put together lists of rental accommodation in 6 University Cites. They are: Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Durham, Manchester, York, Sunderland and London. Although our Capital is sadly lacking in properties to view. Links to other University towns can also be accessed from the Home Page.
With thousands more young people heading off to Uni each year and choosing to study far from their home town, making an informed choice about where to live in unfamiliar cities must be difficult, especially if they don't want to live in university halls.
It must also be an issue for international students, who often have no way of reaching letting agencies and private landlords that are not associated with their university before their arrival in the UK. Research has shown that large numbers of international students, especially post graduate students, prefer to live off campus, whether that is because they are bringing their family with them or they plan to live with other students from their own culture.
Road 51 aims to bridge this gap, linking prospective students to private accommodation they may otherwise not have been able to view. The portal also gives as much detail as possible about each property that is listed, from the amenities available nearby, to detailed images and videos of properties, meaning that there are no surprises when students make a viewing. Providing that it has been left, ratings and feedback from previous tenants can also be viewed, so students should be able to trust that properties will be exactly as advertised.
Founder and CEO of Road 51, Bo Tsang, who also owns a successful letting agency, is an experienced private landlord and a former Newcastle University international student himself. Fluent in both Mandarin and Cantonese he has connections across Asia which provide Road 51 with a stream of incoming international students keen to live in private accommodation.
Bo Tsang secured funding from Newcastle Science City for the portal's launch after impressing business advisors with his unique concept and business plan. He said: "I am excited to announce the launch of Road 51. My experience as both a student landlord and letting agent made it clear that there was a need for a platform that would allow landlords like myself to reach this valuable market. I hope that students will find our new website helpful in their search for properties that are right for them in areas that they are not familiar with".
Sounds like a great idea and one which could be very helpful to freshers all over the Country. Especially if more landlords and letting agents sign up in the South.
So, if you are or know of a student looking for accommodation in the UK or are a landlord or letting agent with student properties on your books, why not check out Road 51.
Written by Deb Roberts
Source Estates IT Ltd
