Students scramble for accommodation after provider goes bust in Dundee
News Source
β’Sat, 19 Sep 2026 11:00:45 GMT
π° What Happened
Nearly 70 students in Dundee have been left hunting for somewhere to live just as term starts. The company that owned Marketgait Apartments went into administration in mid-July with 68 rooms already let. Students had to move their belongings at short notice.
Only weeks before, the same flats were being marketed to students as perfect homes. The building has 116 rooms and sits less than a ten-minute walk from Abertay and Dundee universities. Rents were about 199 pounds a week for a studio.
The failure is the latest in a run of collapses in UK student housing. Some firms are selling up because of weak demand in some cities and too much new building in others.
π The Backstory
International student numbers have fallen for three straight years. Higher borrowing and building costs, made worse by the Iran war, have hit upgrades of older blocks.
Domestic student numbers are at a record high, but more of them live at home because renting is too costly. This has been called the rise of the commuter student. Glasgow, Bristol and London still lack affordable rooms.
π― Why It Matters
Students who lose housing can miss classes and pay more for last-minute rooms. The collapse also shows how money problems at one company can hurt young people directly.
Nearly 70 students in Dundee have been left hunting for somewhere to live just as term starts. The company that owned Marketgait Apartments went into administration in mid-July with 68 rooms already let. Students had to move their belongings at short notice.
Only weeks before, the same flats were being marketed to students as perfect homes. The building has 116 rooms and sits less than a ten-minute walk from Abertay and Dundee universities. Rents were about 199 pounds a week for a studio.
The failure is the latest in a run of collapses in UK student housing. Some firms are selling up because of weak demand in some cities and too much new building in others.
International student numbers have fallen for three straight years. Higher borrowing and building costs, made worse by the Iran war, have hit upgrades of older blocks.
Domestic student numbers are at a record high, but more of them live at home because renting is too costly. This has been called the rise of the commuter student. Glasgow, Bristol and London still lack affordable rooms.
Students who lose housing can miss classes and pay more for last-minute rooms. The collapse also shows how money problems at one company can hurt young people directly.