Sisters bank on mum for university pad

A Barratt West Midlands apartment in Birmingham has provided the ideal student pad for a pair of sisters after their family decided to invest in a property for them rather than fork out for university accommodation.

19 year old Neeshma and 18 year old Krishma from Watford are due to start Aston and Birmingham City universities in September. Keen to take advantage of low property prices their parents decided to buy the girls a home to share during their two and three year courses instead of spending the cash on student halls.

In fact mum Manisha, 43, thinks that the mortgage repayments will work out cheaper than the cost of funding two sets of undergraduate accommodation fees. She said, “We would have paid approximately £800 per month in university accommodation for two students where as our mortgage is around half that amount.

“Although we appreciate the fees for halls would have only been an on cost during term time, we still think that buying a property will save us money in the long run. Fortunately we’ve managed to find a large deposit by calling on the support of other family members so it was clear straight away that owning a property would work out less expensive for us.

“And with property prices at their lowest for years we’re confident that by purchasing now we will have made a shrewd investment for the future.”

The Family have bought at Barratt’s Skyline development on Granville Street and despite living off campus the girls aren’t worried that they’ll miss out on student life. Neeshma said, “Location was a key factor when selecting this apartment and we’re happy that because of Skyline’s central location, close to the Mailbox and to both universities, we won’t be at a disadvantage when it comes to making friends.

“I’ve lived in university halls before and found sharing with strangers a real challenge, especially when it comes to other people’s cleanliness. By living with my sister, at least, I’ll know exactly what I’ve let myself in for!”

The pair will be sharing a two-bedroom apartment with en-suite to the master, double second bedroom and a separate bathroom. The brand new features of the property and the development’s security were also major attractions.

Manisha continued, “We did consider second hand houses over new build apartments however decided that a brand new home within a block would be preferable since the girls will inevitably spend a number of weeks back at home during the holidays and didn’t want a property that might look obviously unoccupied.

“The secure door entry system also gives us as parents, peace of mind that our daughters will be safe living there and the fact that everything is brand new means we shouldn’t have to spend anything extra on decorating or maintaining the property.”

Neeshma and Krishma, who will be studying IT and psychology respectively, move into Skyline in September ready for their first lectures. According to mum however, the purchase itself will be an education for them too, “Whilst we’re very lucky we’ve been able to fund this apartment it will be down to the girls to pay the mortgage. Just because they’re not in halls doesn’t mean student life is going to expense free! It will be up to them to make sure they save enough money each month to pay the mortgage and the bills as well as cover the cost during the times when they aren’t there.”

Skyline is open from 10am to 5pm Sunday to Friday and from 9am until 5pm on Saturday. One Thursday a month it is open until 8pm. Prices for the one-bedroom apartments start from £79,950 and from £133,000 for the two-bedroom apartments. A private car park is available at the development.

For further information, log on to Barratthomes.co.uk/skyline.