:
UK: A new report has found that build-to-rent (BTR) operators are outperforming purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) providers when it comes to the overall customer journey, despite both sectors performing similarly during property viewings.
The hereSAY PBSA Leasing Benchmark Report 2026 analysed more than 500 mystery shopping visits by genuine students to over 110 student accommodation schemes in the UK, and compared the results with more than 1,500 mystery shopping viewings of BTR schemes.
Researchers discovered that PBSA on average scored 76 per cent in terms of the viewing experience, compared to BTR at 74 per cent. Student accommodation providers, however, scored lower across the wider leasing process, specifically when it came to sharing information with future residents and following up after viewings.
According to the report, PBSA earned only a 32 per cent average in terms of post-viewing experience, while BTR recorded an 85 per cent average. Fewer than half of prospective students received any follow-up after their viewing.
The research also found that important topics such as internet speeds, local area safety and available incentives were often not discussed during tours.
The report also revealed that more people booked after staff asked personalised questions, used students’ names and gave key practical information during viewings.
Esme Webb, director of hereSAY and research at SAY Property Consultants, said: “PBSA is a far more established sector than Build to Rent, but our benchmark shows that BTR has set a high standard for the lead-to-lease journey. What is interesting is that student accommodation is already matching BTR on the viewing itself. The gap is not the tour. The gap is what sits around it: the information shared, the consistency of the sales process and what happens after the prospective resident leaves. For BTR operators, this reinforces how far the sector has come in a relatively short period of time. For PBSA, it points to where the next phase of operational improvement is likely to come from.”
Debra Yudolph, founder and CEO of SAY, added: “The comparison with BTR matters because it challenges assumptions about sector maturity. PBSA may be the longer-established market, but BTR has helped raise expectations for what a professionally managed rental journey should feel like. The lesson is not that PBSA needs to become BTR. It is that the service disciplines BTR has embedded so quickly, structured discovery, practical information, personalised tours and consistent follow-up, are increasingly relevant across all rental living sectors. For both sectors, the commercial message is clear: the leasing journey is not just a process. It is a conversion tool.”
The full report can be downloaded here.
Highlights:
- A new report has found that build-to-rent (BTR) operators are outperforming purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) providers when it comes to the overall customer journey, despite both sectors performing similarly during property viewings
- The hereSAY PBSA Leasing Benchmark Report 2026 analysed more than 500 mystery shopping visits by genuine students to over 110 student accommodation schemes in the UK, and compared the results with more than 1,500 mystery shopping viewings of BTR scheme
- Researchers discovered that PBSA on average scored 76 per cent in terms of the viewing experience, compared to BTR at 74 per cent. Student accommodation providers, however, scored lower across the wider leasing process, specifically when it came to sharing information with future residents and following up after viewings
- PBSA earned only a 32 per cent average in terms of post-viewing experience, while BTR recorded an 85 per cent average. Fewer than half of prospective students received any follow-up after their viewing
