This edition will be refreshed as late filings arrive. Charges created after 30 June 2026 are still being filed at Companies House, and HM Land Registry registers commercial sales months after completion. Figures for Q3 2026 will rise.
Key findings
- Student accommodation charges registered at Companies House across England and Wales were down 12.4% in H1 2026 against H1 2025 (120 vs 137). Source: Companies House charges register.
- High street banks were the most active classified lender group across England and Wales, behind 24.5% of student accommodation charges in Jan to Sep 2026. Source: Companies House charges register, CMB lender classification.
- 466 student accommodation planning applications were submitted across England and Wales between January and September 2026, with 91.0% of decided applications granted. Source: Local planning authority records via Landstack.
- Student accommodation recorded the weakest H1 2026 change in secured lending of the 10 sectors we track. Source: Companies House charges register.
Student accommodation lending Jan to Sep 2026
Lenders registered 188 student accommodation charges across England and Wales between January and September 2026. The first half of the year is fully filed, and H1 2026 volumes were down 12.4% on H1 2025 (120 against 137). Charges created from July onwards are still inside the 21-day Companies House filing window at the time of writing, so Q3 2026 counts are provisional and will rise.
High street banks accounted for 24.5% of these charges and specialist and challenger banks for 21.8%. We could match 68.1% of charges to a named lender in our classification. The remainder sit with smaller banks, private lenders and family offices.
The most active named lenders across England and Wales from January to August 2026 were Together (21 charges), Handelsbanken (14) and Paragon Bank (7). We compare January to August with the same months of 2025 because September 2026 filings are still arriving.
7.4% of the charges sat behind an existing charge on the same title. That is a useful read on how often owners are raising second-charge borrowing against student accommodation rather than refinancing the senior loan.
Student accommodation charges by quarter
Lighter bar: Q3 2026, provisional while the 21-day filing window closes. Source: Companies House charges register.
Share of charges by lender type, Jan to Sep 2026
Most active named lenders, Jan to Aug
| Lender | 2026 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Together | 21 | 22 | -4.5% |
| Handelsbanken | 14 | 5 | n/a |
| Paragon Bank | 7 | 13 | -46.2% |
| Santander | 6 | 1 | n/a |
| Aldermore Bank | 6 | 4 | n/a |
| Barclays | 6 | 11 | -45.5% |
| Lloyds | 5 | 4 | n/a |
| InterBay Funding | 5 | 3 | n/a |
| NatWest | 5 | 16 | -68.8% |
| Hampshire Trust Bank | 4 | 6 | n/a |
Charges registered against property, January to August of each year. Named lenders only.
Student accommodation planning pipeline
466 student accommodation planning applications were submitted across England and Wales between January and September 2026. Councils decided 390 with a granted or refused outcome in the period and granted 91.0% of them.
Quarterly submissions moved from 172 in Q3 2025 to 157 in Q3 2026. Applications are a forward signal for finance: a granted change of use or new unit usually needs a purchase, refinance or bridging loan within 12 months.
Applications submitted by quarter
Source: local planning authority records via Landstack.
Recent approvals
- Sunderland · 26/01655/FULInternal alterations to provide 3no. additional individual bedrooms for student accommodation, bringing the total number of rooms (including self-contained units) to 46.Granted 25 September 2026
- Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole · 7-2024-4287-JOutline submission for demolition of existing building and erection of building for student accommodation (Sui Generis), including ancillary infrastructureGranted 25 September 2026
- Southwark · 25/AP/3804Demolition of the existing buildings and redevelopment of the site to provide a 19-storey building comprising a Purpose-Built Student Accommodation premises (Sui Generis use) and flexible commercial floorspace (Class E uGranted 25 September 2026
- Southwark · 25/AP/0978Partial demolition, refurbishment and re-use of existing London College of Communications (UAL) workshop building for flexible cultural venue (Class E/Sui Generis), demolition of all other existing buildings and structurGranted 24 September 2026
- Plymouth · 26/00695/FULNew purpose built student accommodationGranted 18 September 2026
- Coventry · PL/2026/0000627/FULMChange of use from student accommodation to 28 self-contained, single-occupancy stepping stone accommodation studios with shared laundry (Sui Generis) and associated worksGranted 17 September 2026
Student accommodation against the wider commercial market
H1 2026 lending lagged the national market: -12.4% here against +1.8% for all commercial property charges in England and Wales.
The planning approval rate of 91.0% compares with 86.9% for commercial applications nationally.
Financing student accommodation property
For lender criteria, typical terms and case examples on student accommodation finance, see Student Accommodation Finance, our specialist resource for this sector.
Regional breakdown
| Region | Charges | Applications |
|---|---|---|
| London & South East | 50 | 288 |
| Midlands | 42 | 36 |
| North East & Yorkshire | 23 | 22 |
| South West | 25 | 93 |
| North West | 24 | 12 |
| East of England | 4 | 14 |
| Wales | 20 | 1 |
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Methodology and sources
Sales: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data, property type "Other", which covers non-residential sales in England and Wales. Rows that share a price and date are counted as one multi-title deal. Data registered to 25 August 2026.
Lending: the Companies House charges register (snapshot 1 October 2026). A charge counts as commercial when it is secured on a property postcode and either the borrower operates in a commercial sector (for example hotels, pubs, care, retail, manufacturing or logistics, by SIC code) or the postcode matches a commercial sale in 2025 or 2026. Lenders are grouped using our own classification.
Planning: local planning authority records collated by Landstack, filtered to applications whose description indicates a commercial use. Discharge of conditions, advertisement consents, householder works and conversions to residential are excluded. Records cover 253 councils; where a council's applications are not yet collated, its pipeline is understated.
Geography: regions follow postcode districts. County reports cover the ceremonial county including its unitary authorities. City reports cover the local authority area named on each page. Scotland and Northern Ireland are outside HM Land Registry coverage and are not included.
Sector identification: a sale or charge is included when its address or charge particulars name the use, or when the borrower's SIC code places it in the sector. Planning applications are included when the description names the use. Sections with too few records to be reliable are not shown.
Commercial mortgages are unregulated lending and fall outside the FCA's regulated mortgage perimeter. We do not hold FCA authorisation because the products we arrange are unregulated. This report is market information, not advice.