- Six-asset student housing portfolio with over 1600 beds, acquired from global real assets manager Harrison Street Asset Management
- Assets meet AustralianSuper’s strict investment criteria for build quality and proximity to local transport, amenities and high-quality educational institutions
- Acquisition forms part of the Fund’s A$1.1bn platform launch, announced in October
AustralianSuper (‘the Fund’), Australia’s largest superannuation fund, has completed the first portfolio acquisition for its new UK Living Platform – a student housing portfolio with exposure to several of the UK’s leading university cities. The portfolio, acquired from global investment manager Harrison Street Asset Management, comprises six operational purpose-built student accommodation (‘PBSA’) assets totalling 1,616 beds in London, Edinburgh, Belfast, Cardiff, Birmingham and Leicester. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.
The assets meet the Fund’s rigorous investment criteria of high build quality and proximity to local transport links, amenities and high-ranking educational and research facilities.
The acquisition adds to the platform’s seed investment in Bristol, a development site that will deliver a 17-storey PBSA building containing 454 beds and 1,067 sqm of commercial space near the University of Bristol’s Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus and close to major transport links. Completion of this asset is expected in 2027. Operational management of the platform’s investments will be provided by Homes for Students, one of the UK’s leading PBSA operators.
Today’s announcement furthers the Fund’s goal to grow our UK Living Platform to deliver quality income and institutional-grade assets at scale, working alongside aligned partners and expert managers.
The UK PBSA sector offers the potential for compelling returns, with the market facing a persistent supply-demand imbalance in housing and average UK residential rents rising 8.7% year-on-year.1 Student demand continues to surge, with a record number of UK university applicants in 2025 and a projected PBSA bed deficit of over 62,000 by 2026.2 International student applications have also risen 2.7% year-on-year, adding further pressure on accommodation supply.3
Tim Butler, CEO of the platform, said:
"This milestone demonstrates our commitment to building a high-quality Living Sector portfolio in prime university-anchored locations. Our focus is on delivering exceptional service and operational standards that meet the needs of today’s students. This portfolio provides the platform with immediate cashflow as we seek to achieve scale swiftly."
Vicky Stanley, Senior Investment Director for Real Assets, AustralianSuper, said:
“AustralianSuper is pleased to have acquired this portfolio of assets. This acquisition executes on the strategy of our new UK Living platform to scale with quality homes for rent, anchored to high demand university locations, with the opportunity to grow income and deliver for members over the long term."
Paul Bashir, CEO-Europe, Harrison Street Asset Management, said:
“We believe this transaction reflects the strong fundamentals of the UK student housing market and demonstrates the continued global interest in high-quality, purpose-built student housing. Additionally, we feel it underscores our ability to deliver institutional portfolios at scale. We’re proud of the platform we’ve built in Europe and remain committed to identifying opportunities that create value for our investors across market cycles.”
For media enquiries, please contact:
Montfort Communications
E: AustralianSuper@montfort.london
T: Tom Roberts +44 (0)7722440999
T: Catherine Winterton +44 (0)7562693917
AustralianSuper
Zach Relouw
T: +44 (0)7562527542
E: zrelouw@australiansuper.com
- ONS, Private Rent and House Prices (2025)
- StuRents, Bed Deficit (2023-2026)
- UCAS, Equal Consideration Applicant Data 2025 – International Student Demand (2025))
AustralianSuper manages over £195 billion (over A$400 billion) in members’ retirement savings on behalf of more than 3.6 million members from almost 480,000 businesses (as at 30 September 2025). The Fund is an active investor across global financial markets, real assets, private credit and private equity, with the aim of delivering sustainable, long-term performance for its members. AustralianSuper is the 17th largest pension fund in the world by total assets, and one of the fastest-growing among the global top 20 (Thinking Ahead Institute, Global Top 300 Pension Funds, based on 5-year CAGR 2020-2025).
For more information, visit: www.australiansuper.com
AustralianSuper Pty Ltd (ABN 94 006 457 987, AFS Licence No. 233788), the Trustee of AustralianSuper (ABN 65 714 394 898). References to “AustralianSuper” or “the Fund” in this document are taken to mean AustralianSuper Pty Ltd, the AustralianSuper superannuation fund, AustralianSuper (UK) Ltd (UK company number 09949713, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority –Reference No 741471), AustralianSuper (US) LLC (a Delaware Limited Liability Company, file number 7398158), AustralianSuper Research Pty Ltd (ABN 82 105 638 319, a Beijing Representative Office) and any/or other related bodies corporate of AustralianSuper Pty Ltd.
Information included in this document is of a general nature only.
Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that the details contained herein are correct and up-to-date, this information does not constitute legal or other professional advice. We do not accept any responsibility, legal or otherwise, for any error or omission.