Privatized student housing projects that were in strong financial condition before the pandemic arrived are now positioned well to recover come fall, given likely vaccination timelines, according to a report issued last week by Moody’s Investors Service.
The pandemic’s negative effect on student housing revenue has been cause for concern for investors and college administrators alike — as well as a source of discord between some universities and housing developers, and between universities and students. When colleges and universities shifted to online instruction or cut dormitory occupancy rates to try to combat the spread of COVID-19, some privatized student housing projects experienced revenue shortfalls as rent payments declined.
