New working group aims to create more housing for students and youth

The first meeting of the “Housing Alliance Working Group on Student and Youth Housing” took place in early June as part of the Affordable Student Housing Seminar in Ponta Delgada, Portugal with some participants connecting online.  

The Working Group brings together Member States representatives working on student and youth housing, alongside universities and student association representatives. The group is tasked with reflecting on and tackling the difficulties faced by students and young people in accessing affordable housing, which is one of the key priorities in the European Affordable Housing Plan. 

And the difficulties of students and young people are very concrete. Research conducted by the European Commission, in conjunction with the Politecnico di Milano, shows that students on average spend almost half of their budget on housing. At the same time, students are increasingly the target of scam cases, which have increase with more than 180% in two years. 

The Working Group’s discussions centred on current dynamics in the provision of student and youth housing, including supply and financing constraints and how the Group can complement Member States’ national strategies.  

Suggestions included enhanced data collection on student and youth housing and a focus on sharing financing models for Member States, for example through the European Investment Bank, and other novel solutions to ensure the accessibility to and affordability of housing for current and future students and young people. 

The Commission highlighted ongoing efforts on the implementation of the students and young people housing actions in the European Affordable Housing Plan, notably an Erasmus+ pilot, a feasibility study on a student rent deposit guarantee and the further actions on mobilisation of financing for student housing under the Pan-European Investment Platform and the exchange on innovative student housing models. 

The European Commission’s Housing Task Force is working with Member States and stakeholders to develop a Work Programme for the Group comprised of key actions additional to those contained in the European Affordable Housing Plan. 

This presentation summarises the findings of a CEB-supported study examining student housing markets across 21 European countries. It analyses patterns of student accommodation demand and supply, affordability pressures, investment gaps, and the role of public and private providers. The study highlights common challenges facing the sector, including rising housing costs, shortages of purpose-built student accommodation, and financing constraints that limit the expansion and modernisation of student housing stock.