Cardiff students search for better digs beyond Cathays

Rik Mayall starred in The Young Ones, a 1980s sitcom about students living in squalid conditions

Damp patches, peeling wallpaper, draughty windows and dishes which never got washed may have been features of many people's student digs.

Even so, postgraduates tend to reminisce fondly about "the best days of our lives" spent in such conditions.

Cathays is Cardiff's heartland, with 70% of its 20,000 residents students at the time of the 2011 census.

But could a desire for better quality rooms be changing that?

Traditionally, students from Cardiff University, Cardiff Metropolitan and the University of South Wales have lived mainly in the terraced streets around Crwys Road and Albany Road in Roath.

In 2011, 64% of Cathays' 6,724 properties were being let.

Of the 18,693 residents aged 16-74, 48% were full-time students and a further 22% were students working part-time.

But a number of factors could see that figure reduce considerably over the coming years.

A students' union said students are increasingly looking for better standards of accommodation - in many cases elsewhere - while estate agents have lists of "hundreds" of professionals waiting to move into the area instead.

Cardiff council has also limited the number of houses of multiple occupancy (HMO) in the Cathays and Plasnewydd wards to tackle problems like anti-social behaviour associated with students.

High rise developments are taking students to other parts of the city - such as a 25-storey tower on Herbert Street, 650 flats at the Cardiff Royal Infirmary site, 42-storeys centrally and a development on City Road

Another reason for a shift in the type of people living there is a lack of houses for sale near the city centre, with those available too expensive for many families to buy, according to estate agent Ross Hooper-Nash.

"The only way to live close to the city centre is to rent," he said.

As a result, his Jeffrey Ross firm has a waiting list that "runs into the hundreds" of people wanting to rent in Roath and Cathays, describing the market as "very competitive and buoyant".

Currently, Mr Hooper-Nash said a three-bedroom house can bring in £400 per room per month, with two-bed properties more.

Prices will continue to rise, he believes, not just because of demand from professionals, but because of foreign students willing to pay more for quality accommodation.

Unless more is built near the city centre, Mr Hooper-Nash sees other areas such as Grangetown, which have not been as popular in the past, becoming more desirable.

Wales' tallest building will offer 450 students quality accommodation in the city centre

Despite this competition for properties in Cathays and Roath, there is still enough to meet student demand, according to Cardiff University's students' union.

"What is more likely to be the issue is the availability of quality housing for students to rent," said vice president for welfare, Hollie Cooke.

"Changes in renting behaviour seem to suggest that students are more aware of their rights now, which results in them looking for higher-quality accommodation."

A glut of modern developments are in the pipeline - including a 42-storey tower and another featuring dinner party rooms, a cinema and sky lounge in the city centre.

She also believes new requirements from the Rent Smart scheme, which was set up to tackle bad landlords, is fuelling a desire for better standards.

HMO licenses - issued by law to ensure owners are competent and qualified to manage properties - are also believed to be having an effect.

To gain one in the Cathays and Plasnewydd ward, Cardiff council now has additional requirements for landlords that it says are to tackle issues such as waste and anti-social behaviour related to students.

Another problem this move is aimed at remedying is a finding from a 2005 survey that 8.9% of private houses in Cathays were "unfit".

Students are now more aware of their rights and looking for better quality accommodation, according to Cardiff University's students' union

Cardiff council's student liaison officer Emma Robson said the new HMO regulations should ensure there are not too many in one part of the city.

But financial advisor Jamie Allan said they will make it "very difficult" to convert existing residential properties in Cathays and Roath into student houses.

More significantly, he believes an extra 3% stamp duty on houses bought to rent should stop many investors entering the market.

Jack Mitchell of estate agent Taylors Countrywide believes the long-term intention is to reduce the number of students in Cathays and Roath.

"Landlords will need to apply and pay for these (HMO) licences, with less and less guarantee they will be approved," he said.

"Plus all the added improvements that come with HMO licensing (such as fire regulations, kitchen and bathroom standards).

Moy Road photographed from the railway bridge on Crwys Road is in Cardiff's traditionally student-dominated area

"This should lead to less new student properties becoming available for rent in the next few years and will also have an effect on sales process for properties with a HMO licence already in place."

His company has a waiting list of about 80 people keen to rent in the area, with Mr Mitchell citing reasons such as proximity to the city centre and school catchment areas for the popularity.

In Roath, a two-bed house can bring in £900 per month and £1,200 for a three-bed, with Cathays able to command £700 and £1,000.

Despite student houses bringing in more money, he added: "Professionals will always be more attractive to landlords simply due to reputation and wear and tear with the property."

And the non-student demand will keep growing, he believes, because, unlike in Bristol and London, living near to Cardiff city centre is still affordable for most.

Conditions depicted in The Young Ones could be a thing of the past with students and professionals demanding better standards in Cathays and Roath