Universities are facing a plethora of issues which are impacting the financial stability of the sector. Undergraduate fees have been relatively stagnant since 2012 and have been materially devalued by recent inflation. Their financial resilience is also intrinsically linked to student numbers, which are generally down across the sector, including for international students – an essential income source to many institutions. Universities are reporting material underutilisation of estates, and with the pressure of meeting carbon targets, addressing backlog capex and meeting increased student demands, the importance of reviewing, maintaining, and investing in estates is paramount.
At Gerald Eve we offer a comprehensive property offering, drawing on the experience of our dedicated education team, and have the added benefit of commercial and debt finance teams, ensuring that clients can benefit from a full service offering under one roof. We work alongside other advisors such as architects, auditors, solicitors and other professional consultants to provide a seamless service.
Our clients include universities and higher education institutions, their banks, investors and other stakeholders. We provide a full-service offering including:
- Agency, including purchase, sale, leasing and letting
- Building consultancy and project management, including PPMs
- Business rates mitigation
- Corporate real estate, including landlord and tenant, portfolio management
- Estate Strategy, including rationalisation and options appraisals
- Financing, including capital and income raising strategies, equity and debt advisory
- Planning and development
- Valuation