Member Article

Flying start for Newcastle businessman's student property portal

A NEW letting portal that helps students find accommodation in university cities across the country has attracted interest from one of the world’s leading independent property advisors.

Road 51, which helps landlords and letting agents reach students looking for private accommodation, was launched this summer by Newcastle businessman Bo Tsang, and is already in big demand just weeks after its launch.

London-based leading independent real estate consultancy Knight Frank have been alerted to the potential of Road 51.

Knight Frank partner Giles Barrett said: “We are interested in what Road 51 are doing and we have spoken to them about what they are doing.”

Already Chinese students, who are planning to study in Britain from this September, have signed up, while landlords are also registering.

With many students choosing to study at university in towns and cities that they have little prior knowledge of, finding accommodation can be difficult, while overseas students often have no way of accessing letting agencies and private landlords before their arrival in the UK if they are planning to live off campus.

Road 51 aims to bridge the gap by linking prospective students to private accommodation they may not otherwise be able to view – a benefit that has already generated interest from both students and landlords within just a week of its launch.

Plymouth private landlord and letting agent Dr Luke Zhou became the first landlord to sign up to Road 51.

He said: “I have a small property portfolio myself but I also look after 11 properties for clients through my letting agency, and we have been looking for a property letting portal where houses and flats can be seen in China as well as the UK.

“This is great news for landlords, who can advertise their property, and the other advantage is that it is a bilingual website, targeted at Chinese international students. If students are in China, they need to make a decision when they are still over there and this will enable them to do that. They can view the property online and make an application for a property before they come over here.”

Mr Tsang, who owns a successful letting agency, is an experienced private landlord and former international student himself. He is fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese and has connections across Asia, which has provided Road 51 with a pipeline of incoming international students who are keen to live in private accommodation.

He said: “We have been delighted with the early response from students and landlords to the launch of the property letting portal. We have also had initial enquiries from national letting agents so we are very optimistic that Road 51 will take off.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Joanna Graham .