loc8me: Award-Winning, Market-Ready & Building What’s Next

Hey subscribers – welcome back to another edition of loc8me’s LinkedIn newsletter!

This month, we’re celebrating big wins, tracking market shifts, and laying the foundations for what’s next.

Fresh from our recognition at the 2025 HMO Summit & Awards, we’re not just proud we’re energised. With student demand evolving and planning pipelines tightening, we’re focused on helping landlords stay ahead and make the most of every opportunity.

In this edition, we’re:

• Unpacking the latest Q2 market insights from StuRents
• Highlighting our award-winning performance in student lettings
• Asking for your input as we plan our first landlord event

Thanks for being part of the journey – let’s keep building, together – Fern Tebbutt, Central Business Development Manager at loc8me

We Celebrates Multiple Wins at the 2025 HMO Summit & Awards 🏆

We’re proud to announce that loc8me has been recognised across multiple categories at the prestigious The HMO Summit & Awards cementing our position as one of the UK’s leading names in student accommodation.

🥇 Winner – Best Manager of Student HMOs (Over 400 Rooms)

We took home the top prize in this highly competitive category, recognising our continued commitment to managing large-scale student portfolios with care, consistency, and innovation. This award highlights our ability to balance operational excellence with a student-first approach across thousands of rooms nationwide.

🌟 Highly Commended – Best Content Provider

We were also recognised for our marketing and communications efforts, receiving a Highly Commended award for Best Content Provider. From our student-focused campaigns to landlord resources, we’re proud to create content that connects, informs, and supports our community.

🏅 Regional Winner – Best Agency (Midlands)

loc8me was also named the Regional Winner for Best Agency in the Midlands, celebrating our deep roots, strong local relationships, and continued growth across this vital student region.

These achievements are a testament to the incredible work of our teams across the country, our landlord partners, and our belief in delivering more than just rooms – we deliver experiences, stability, and community for thousands of students each year.

A huge thank you to the HMO Awards team and Vann Vogstad for hosting such a brilliant event, and congratulations to all of this year’s winners and finalists.

We’re just getting started.

– The Loc8me Team

Market Insights: Q2 2025 Snapshot

As we head deeper into the letting cycle, here are the key takeaways from the latest national data provided by StuRents

🏠 Affordability & Demand

• 75% of students now have a budget of £150pppw or more, with nearly 1 in 5 able to pay £200pppw+.
• Demand remained steady in Q2, with 2-bed properties the most searched, making up 22.9% of platform activity.
• Larger HMOs (8 beds+) remain least popular, indicating a continued shift toward smaller, self-contained living.

🏗️ Supply Pipeline

• There are 179,010 student beds in the UK development pipeline.
• Over 54,000 beds are awaiting approval, while 124,000+ beds have planning granted.
• The top 5 cities (London, Glasgow, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester) hold over halfthe future supply – three of which we operate in!!!

🎓 Student Numbers

• Total full-time student numbers in England declined by 1.4% in 2024.
• Postgraduate numbers dropped 12.8%, while undergrad numbers rose 1.9%.

📉 Planning Activity

• Planning activity has slowed in 2025, with only 5,642 beds submitted and 3,717 approved in Q1, suggesting future delivery may be more restrained.

🔍 What This Means for Landlords:

• Smaller units and well-located 2–5 beds continue to perform best.
• With affordability tightening, aligning rental pricing with market expectations is more important than ever.
• Long-term, stock in major cities remains strong, but secondary markets may benefit from reduced competition in pipeline supply.

Loughborough Hits an Incredible Milestone: Our Largest Number of Beds Turned Over in Just 48 Hours!

This year, our Loughborough team achieved an outstanding milestone during the busiest two days of the year, completing one of our largest and most seamless turnarounds to date.

The dedication and hard work of the incredible team truly shone through as they pulled together, giving everything they had to prepare for the arrival of new students. From cleaning and maintenance to logistics and coordination, every member played a crucial part in making this happen seamlessly.

It was inspiring to witness such teamwork and shared commitment, all focused on the same goal: ensuring our new students had a smooth, welcoming move-in experience. This achievement is a testament to the power of collaboration and determination and a proud moment for everyone involved at Loughborough!

🏡 We’re Planning a Landlord Event – Have Your Say!

We’ve reached out to our landlords and their networks—and now we want your input as we plan our first loc8me landlord evening.

This event will be a chance to:

• Hear from loc8me on how we’re your “one-stop-shop” agency
• Meet the YieldMe and Mortar team for expert insights
• Get up to speed on market trends
• Network with other landlords and your local loc8me team
• Bring guests who want to learn more about what we do

We’re considering hosting the event in:

👉 Bristol

👉Manchester

👉Loughborough

Would you attend? Where would you prefer? Let us know if there’s anything specific you’d like covered or questions you’d like answered by emailing Fern Tebbutt MARLA at fern@loc8me.co.uk

Your feedback is invaluable—we’d love to see you there!