Home is Where the Heart is: UK student accommodation sector sees rise in cohabiting couples
- 40% of long-distance relationships do not last (IVillage)
- Growing number of applications for joint student accommodation from couples (Collegiate AC)
- Eirini and Rizos make Edinburgh’s Gateway Apartments student property their first married home
For those who are already in a relationship, moving away to university can spell make or break time. With thoughts of Freshers’ wild nights, making new friends, the pressures of study, not to mention the hardships that come with sustaining a long-distance relationship, this already difficult time can be made even harder for those with a boyfriend or girlfriend left behind.
Recent research released by IVillage has revealed that 40% of long-distance relationships do not last, and for those that will break up, 4.5 months in is the time that the split is likely to occur. The pressure that comes with making a relationship with a partner who stayed at home work can cause additional stress for new students, make them feel homesick far more readily, and mean that they return more often than they would have done otherwise – all of which can be detrimental to studies and newly formed university friendships.
Whilst the choice has always seemed to be to either break up pre-uni or attempt to navigate the relationship from afar, often unsuccessfully, there is now a third option. Made viable thanks to the evolution in the UK student accommodation market, many couples are bridging the divide that distance can bring by living together whilst one or both parties undertakes their degree.
Collegiate AC, the leading provider of luxury student accommodation in some of the UK’s finest university cities, has certainly noticed this as a growing trend. Heriberto Cuanalo, CEO, explains more,
“In the past year we have seen applications for accommodation from growing numbers of couples, some of whom are both studying and some where one of the partners is and the other is in full-time employment. Our spacious accommodation suits the requirements of couples, allowing them to cohabit successfully, with the space needed to provide a stress-free environment that will be to the benefit, rather than the detriment, of their relationship.
“Feedback we have received from couples who have lived together in Collegiate AC accommodation has also revealed that they find the additional facilities on offer a great bonus too. Luxury lounges, games rooms or a private cinema room ensures that not only can couples enjoy their time together, they can also have their own space and pursue their own interests whilst living together – vital in any healthy relationship!”
Eirini and Rizos, from Edinburgh, are one couple who came to recognise the benefits of being able to live together whilst studying. The pair, originally from Greece, married in the July before they moved to the Scottish city to attend Heriot-Watt University where they were both studying for an MSc Petroleum Engineering, meaning that their first married home together was in fact a student property!
With 3.75 million marriages long-distance in the US alone (according to IVillage), the pair moved together into Gateway Apartments from Collegiate AC, with Eirini explaining how this worked for them as a couple,
“Since we were married it wasn’t an option not to stay together and Gateway Apartments provided us with a really nice and cosy first home together. The gym was really good and easy to use and the large study room that every block had with a big desk proved mandatory for assignments.
“One of the other things that our accommodation provided that ended up being very important for me especially was the fact that everything was inclusive, so I did not had to worry about gas, electricity and internet, for example. I did not have the time to deal with that and therefore that helped to make for a stress-free newly married life, even whilst studying!”
Gateway Apartments, that Eirini and husband Rizos made home for the first year of their married life, offers a range of premier studios and rooms for discerning students in Edinburgh. The winner of the prestigious RICS Scotland Residential Award in 2014, the project presents a cutting-edge, design-led student experience, suitable for both couples and individuals alike.
Set in a peaceful and elegant enclave, within walking distance of all the main colleges and university campuses, Gateway Apartments are well served with a variety of retail outlets creating an almost ‘village’ feel about the area, whilst offering easy access to transport links and central Edinburgh.
The high-specification and beautifully-designed student apartments are equipped with contemporary high-gloss kitchens, individual en-suite facilities, flat-screen TVs, double beds and ample study and storage space. The development also offers a private cinema, gym, common room and reading rooms, high-speed broadband and Wi-Fi, CCTV, an electronic entry system and 24-hour on-call support.
Studio, one, two and three bedroom apartments are available, with prices from £158.50 per week.
For more information, visit www.collegiate-ac.com or contact Collegiate AC on 01235 250 140.