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This week's conversations are inspired by the recent industry events the hosts attended as we discuss:

- Why postgraduate demand falling (down around 8% in 2024) should be on every operator’s radar.
- How commuter students rising to 31% changes the true picture of housing need.
- Why planning decisions can still disconnect from what actually fills beds.
- How leasing strategy is shifting city by city.
- Why parent input is now more important than ever.
- Why the sector needs a stronger, more coordinated voice to defend the value of going away to university and living independently.

Thanks to all of the organisations for putting on some brilliant events for the sector, please do check out all of the relevant pages and websites to find out more.

StuRents Summit
Investor in Students 360°
Student Living Forum UK 2026, hosted by The Class Foundation.

And if you are holding an event you'd like us to attend - please get in touch.

Dan Smith is Founder of RESI Consultancy and Co-Founder of Verbaflo.AI.

Sarah Canning and Deenie Lee are Directors and Co-Founders of The Property Marketing Strategists - Elevating the role of Marketing in Property.

Who this episode is for:

• PBSA and student accommodation professionals
• BTR, co-living and rental operators
• Property developers and investors
• University and higher education leaders
• Anyone working in or around housing policy and shared living

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers, organisations, clients, or partners. This podcast is for general discussion and informational purposes only. Nothing said should be taken as professional, legal, financial, or investment advice. While we aim to be accurate, we make no guarantees and accept no liability for decisions made based on the content of this podcast.

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For this episode, Sarah Canning and Deenie Lee sit down with Debra Yudolph, CEO of SAY Property Consultants and Esme Webb, Director of hereSAY to unpack the UK’s first PBSA Mystery Shopping Benchmark report and to discuss why measuring the lead to lease journey is the most powerful metric operators and investors can unleash.

This is a must-listen conversation for anyone working in PBSA operations, marketing, leasing, customer experience or investment as we explore;
- What students really experience in the leasing journey.
- Where teams shine on friendliness and knowledge.
- Where bookings are being lost.
- How small behaviours shifts can create big conversion gain
- How findings from the mystery shopping service can inform and improve sales and marketing training.

Download the full report.

The hereSAY PBSA Mystery Shopping Service is in partnership with The Property Marketing Strategists

Find out more about the PBSA Mystery Shopping Service by filling in this form.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers, organisations, clients, or partners. This podcast is for general discussion and informational purposes only. Nothing said should be taken as professional, legal, financial, or investment advice. While we aim to be accurate, we make no guarantees and accept no liability for decisions made based on the content of this podcast.

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Two weeks on from the Housed Summit at UKREiiF; Sarah Canning and Dan Smith talk with Shaan Clarke, Director of Sales, Marketing and Resident Experience at Collegiate UK and Sean McKeown, CIO, Arlington Group about the forces reshaping shared living, from affordability pressure to the rising bar for resident experience.

This episode covers;
- What actually creates value for students?
- How regulation is changing viability
- Sector flexibility
- Operational complexities
- And why flexibility and authenticity now decide who stays competitive.

Thank you to Collegiate UK for being our Platinum Partners for the Housed Summit.

Dan Smith is Founder of RESI Consultancy and Co-Founder of Verbaflo.AI.

Sarah Canning and Deenie Lee are Directors and Co-Founders of The Property Marketing Strategists - Elevating the role of Marketing in Property.

Who this episode is for:

• PBSA and student accommodation professionals
• BTR, co-living and rental operators
• Property developers and investors
• University and higher education leaders
• Anyone working in or around housing policy and shared living

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers, organisations, clients, or partners. This podcast is for general discussion and informational purposes only. Nothing said should be taken as professional, legal, financial, or investment advice. While we aim to be accurate, we make no guarantees and accept no liability for decisions made based on the content of this podcast.