Student lettings agency loc8me has acquired Liverpool-based Luxury Student Homes (LSH), adding more than 1,100 beds to its nationwide portfolio.
The deal brings 199 student properties under loc8me’s management and almost quadruples its Liverpool portfolio, increasing its presence in the city from around 400 beds to nearly 1,500.
Liverpool is now one of loc8me’s largest regional markets outside the Midlands, with the acquisition taking the business close to 10,000 rooms nationwide across 19 university cities.
The city is home to more than 70,000 students across three city universities and continues to see strong demand for private student housing despite a surge in Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) in recent years.
Co-founded in 2014 by Neil Colquhoun, Luxury Student Homes has built a sizeable portfolio of shared student homes across Liverpool over the last decade.
Colquhoun will remain involved in the business over the next five years, providing continuity for landlords, tenants and staff during the transition and reflecting confidence in loc8me’s long-term direction.
As part of the acquisition, all existing 25 members of staff will join loc8me, including 10 office-based employees, with no immediate changes planned to day-to-day operations for tenants or landlords.
The deal follows growing consolidation in the student HMO sector following the Renters’ Rights Act, as more landlords move towards larger professional operators providing compliance support and management across multiple university cities.
Across the student housing market, established regional portfolios are increasingly being brought into larger national operators as landlords look for greater support, infrastructure and consistency in how their properties are managed.
Raffaele Russo, founder of loc8me, said: “Liverpool has become a hugely important city for us over the last few years, and this acquisition significantly strengthens our presence in one of the UK’s busiest student markets.
“Luxury Student Homes has built a strong reputation locally over a long period of time, and bringing that together with loc8me allows us to combine local expertise with the support, systems and consistency of a growing national platform.
“As regulation continues to evolve, we’re seeing more student landlords move towards experienced operators who can deliver high standards consistently for both students and property owners. For us, this is about continuing to invest in key university cities and building long-term stability within the student HMO sector.”
All properties joining loc8me through the acquisition will operate under the company’s Seal of Approval framework, which sets standards around safety, presentation and property quality across its national portfolio.
The acquisition is one of loc8me’s largest regional deals to date and marks another significant step in the company’s continued national growth across established university cities.
