The best London homes for your student children

Central Saint Martins students by the canal in King’s Cross (Alamy). Main image, Imperial graduates at the Royal Albert Hall (Alamy)

Congratulations to anyone whose child has won a place at one of London’s elite universities – a truly impressive achievement. The UK capital was named Best Student City in 2025 by global education experts Quacquarelli Symonds for the seventh consecutive year, both for the quality of its higher-education establishments and for student satisfaction, with world-class institutions that include Imperial College, LSE, UCL, Central Saint Martins and the Royal Colleges of Art and of Music.

The next step for parents without a London base is to consider accommodation arrangements for their student offspring. If you’re looking to buy, which type of property should you choose for them, which locations should you consider – and can high-end student housing be treated as a genuine investment?

“The most frequent requests we get are that the property should be close to good transport links and vibrant local life, not on a main road, and within a mile of the campus,” says Stephen Holmes, the Savills director who heads up prime flat sales in Kensington. These criteria for students apply in any big city, but what differs in London is the style of properties in demand.

“Families from Asia-Pacific prefer new or recently built homes with all the facilities they are used to – gyms, round-the-clock security, a front-desk concierge, off-street parking and meeting rooms,” Holmes explains.

A lateral apartment on Hornton Street in Kensington, on the market with Savills

“Parents from the UK are more often swayed by older architecture and period conversions, and are less concerned with communal facilities. For them, keeping a check on running costs is more of a priority. Apartments in these older buildings are often more generously sized than new-builds.”

Holmes points to 21 Young Street, a handsome development of 53 apartments just off Kensington High Street, which was completed in 2018. These homes – most of them compact one- and two-bedroom apartments – sold well, with several overseas purchasers buying for their children.

“The parents might use the property as a pied-à-terre when visiting London, but many were bought primarily for students at Imperial or King’s,” Holmes says. “The investment side was a factor, too. These apartments provide a new-build base in central London and, once their children have graduated, many parents are happy to hold on to the property for longer. Their son or daughter might continue to use it if they stay in London to work, or they can put it on the lettings market.”

Families with children attending satellite campuses outside prime central London are also buying into the new-build market. “At Artisi, which is part of the redevelopment of the old Hammersmith Town Hall, about 75% of our buyers are parents of students, many of them enrolled at the Imperial campus in White City,” says Jeremy James, sales director of London residential development.

University College London, one of the capital’s world-class educational establishments (Alamy)

“Aspen in Canary Wharf is popular with both domestic and international parents as it’s close to UCL School of Management, while Greenwich Peninsula has sold particularly well as there are several new campuses towards the east of London.”

Parents typically plan to spend between £1 million and £2 million, and keep their property for five to eight years, according to Charlie Kennard, head of the Savills Kensington and Holland Park market sales team. “For the property to hold its value well, my advice is to buy a best-in-class apartment on the best street,” he says. “In Brunswick Gardens, one of the most expensive streets in London W8, we sold a compact 500 sq ft apartment to a European buyer for his daughter, who was studying at Imperial. Some parents want a stress-free property that requires no modernisation.”

A key driver for parents helping their children with accommodation that’s a step up from the spaces typically offered by universities is to provide a comfortable and convenient home. But a purchase of this kind can serve other, more pragmatic, purposes. “For some parents, this is a way of passing on wealth to their children,” says Kennard. “It’s helping the next generation to get a foothold on the property ladder – and, with knowledgeable advice, it can make sound financial sense for inheritance tax planning.”

Additional reporting by Mia Aimaro Ogden