Student accommodation specialist refinances £161m portfolio

Study Inn Group has completed the refinancing of a £161m portfolio of student accommodation assets, including major facilities in Nottingham and Loughborough.

Following the sale of the company’s first portfolio to Arlington Advisors for £135m in 2017, the Group has spent five years assembling a new collection of properties in Bristol, Loughborough, Nottingham and Exeter.

The group has further developments currently underway in Leicester, Nottingham and Leeds.

Study Inn finance director Marcus Hook said: “The refinance of development assets once they are complete and operational is a key step in consolidating the portfolio. This allows us to bring our completed sites into one facility with lower debt service costs, scale up to a level which can accommodate a significant number of additional rooms, and maximise our return on capital.”

Study Inn Group was advised by Knight Frank Capital Advisory, Gateley Legal, Cooper Parry, CBRE and Chatham Financial.

Lisa Attenborough, head of debt advisory at Knight Frank, said: “We are delighted to have advised our client Study Inn Group on the refinance of their market-leading, purpose-built operational assets located in Bristol, Loughborough, Nottingham and Exeter. The student accommodation sector remains attractive to a range of capital providers and this particular portfolio is a perfect demonstration of one which has maintained impressive occupancy levels throughout the pandemic.”