UniLodge

What UniLodge does

UniLodge, headquartered in Brisbane and founded in 1993, is one of the largest purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) operators in Australia, with a managed portfolio of 140+ properties spanning all major Australian metro markets (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, Perth, Darwin), regional university centres (Cairns, Townsville, Bendigo, Wodonga, Ballarat, Mildura), New Zealand (Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch), and an expanding Canadian operation under UniLodge Canada. The company operates through a portfolio architecture that includes owned-branded properties (UniLodge, Student Living, Hive, INDI, WeAreLiving, The Archive, Realm, Assemble) and university-partnered properties at Western Sydney University, La Trobe University, University of Sydney, James Cook University, Curtin University, and Southern Cross University, managed centrally under the UniLodge Living Group corporate umbrella alongside adjacent residential brands Essence Communities, Essence Hotels & Apartments, and Essence Homes.

The technology backbone is the StarRez property management and reservation platform integrated across the portfolio for room booking, contract management, and resident administration, with a Resident Hub mobile application (iOS and Android) supporting the proprietary Residential Life program — a structured community, wellbeing, and engagement layer that distinguishes UniLodge from commodity housing provision. Many properties hold NPAS accreditation and UniLodge aligns with the Student Accommodation Association standards, and in 2025 published a Gender-based Violence Prevention and Response Plan under the National Higher Education Code.

The business model is recurring weekly rent (A$200–A$400/week depending on room type and market, on 20-, 41-, or 52-week contracts with a A$1,000 bond), supplemented by ancillary revenue streams including secure car parking, catering at residential colleges (e.g., Menzies College), laundry, and a referral-based GTM partnership stack (CommBank, Jayride, TAXIBOX, Experience Oz, MyISIC). Distribution combines a self-serve online booking portal (reserve.unilodge.com.au), co-branded listings on university housing pages, a referral agent network, and a direct sales layer into university housing departments. End-customers are tens of thousands of domestic and international university students; institutional buyers are the partner universities themselves.

Name

UniLodge

Legal name

UniLodge

Website

https://unilodge.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

UniLodge is one of Australia's largest purpose-built student accommodation providers, operating 140+ managed properties across Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. It serves domestic and international university students through university partnerships, a centralised StarRez booking platform, and its Residential Life community program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Accommodation Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340)

akta.pro primary industry

Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) Providers & Operators (EDAIALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Off-Campus Purpose-Built Student Housing (PBSA) Management (BPAJAJAB), Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) – Short-Term Leases (THAMAGAB), Academic Program Housing (Study Abroad, Language Schools, Field Schools) (THAMAGAE)

Keywords

• Student accommodation
• Purpose-built student housing
• PBSA services
• University housing management
• Student residential services

Headquarters

HQ city

Brisbane

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Student Accommodation Rent: Weekly rental payments from students occupying accommodation rooms and apartments. Rent is charged per fortnight with payment options including advance semester or annual payment. Pricing varies by property type (studio, multi-share, single room) and location, ranging from $200-$400 per week.
2. Ancillary Services: Additional revenue streams from optional services including secure car parking ($25/month at some properties), catering/meal options (breakfast and dinner available at additional cost at properties like Menzies College), and laundry services where coin-operated.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

UniLodge provides purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) across Australia and New Zealand, operating 140+ managed properties that offer furnished rooms, studios, apartments, and townhouses to domestic and international university students. The company manages accommodation on behalf of university partners (including University of Sydney, Western Sydney University, La Trobe University, James Cook University, Curtin University, and Southern Cross University) and supplements housing with its Residential Life engagement program and the UniLodge Resident Hub mobile app.

Product overview

UniLodge is one of Australia's largest Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) providers, operating a portfolio of 140+ managed student housing properties across Australia and New Zealand. The core offering is UniLodge itself — a platform of individual branded properties (including UniLodge, Student Living, INDI, Hive, WeAreLiving, and university-specific brands) that provide furnished rooms, studios, apartments, and townhouses for domestic and international university students. Properties span major cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Darwin) and regional centres (Bendigo, Wodonga, Townsville, Cairns, Lismore, Christchurch, Auckland, Wellington). UniLodge also provides ancillary services including the Residential Life Program (structured social and wellbeing support), a Resident Hub mobile app, and Your Shop for student essentials. University partnerships include branded accommodation at the University of Sydney, Western Sydney University, La Trobe University, and others, all managed through the UniLodge booking infrastructure. Many properties hold NPAS (National Property Accreditation Scheme) certification.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Essence Communities: Student accommodation communities operated by UniLodge Living Group
• Essence Hotels & Apartments
• Essence Homes
• Hive
• INDI
• WeAreLiving
• The Archive
• Realm
• Assemble
• UniLodge Living Group

Products and services

• UniLodge Student Accommodation
• Student Living by UniLodge
• University of Sydney Partnership Properties
• Living at La Trobe
• Western Sydney University Villages
• Residential Life Program
• Resident Hub App
• Your Shop

Quantifiable outcome

• One of the largest providers of PBSA (Purpose-Built Student Accommodation) in Australia

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Property Accreditation Scheme (NPAS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniLodge maintains a strong ongoing relationship with NPAS, with many of its properties accredited under the scheme. This voluntary accreditation program evaluates PBSA providers on building safety, operational standards, student welfare, and facility quality. NPAS accreditation provides students and families confidence that accommodation meets rigorous quality standards.
• Student Accommodation Association (SAA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Student Accommodation Association plays key roles in standards, accreditation, and industry development for PBSA in Australia. UniLodge operates in alignment with SAA standards as one of the largest PBSA providers.
• TAXIBOXminorGTM or Marketing PartnerUniLodge has partnered with Australia's leading mobile storage provider to offer residents a convenient and cost-effective storage solution. Residents receive $50 off TAXIBOX's lowest retail rates through a dedicated partnership discount program.
• Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CommBank)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership providing CommBank banking offers for international students moving to Australia. UniLodge receives commission of AUD$40 per person who signs up for a CommBank account through the referral link. Students can set up Australian bank accounts up to 14 days before arrival.
• JayrideminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership offering discounted airport transfers for students moving to Australia. Jayride provides options including private cars, shuttles, and premium transfer services for stress-free arrival.
• Experience OzminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with Australia's leading hub for booking theme park tickets, activities, tours, and experiences in Australia and New Zealand. Offers over 3,000 experiences for students.
• MyISIC (International Student Identity Card)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership providing eligible students access to internationally recognized student identity and lifestyle cards. The ISIC is used by students to access offers on travel, shopping, dining, and entertainment in over 125 countries.
• StarRezcoreTechnology or IntegrationUniLodge uses the StarRez property management system across all properties for room reservations, contract management, and resident administration. The StarRez Portal serves as the primary booking and resident management platform.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Scape: Scape is one of Australia's largest purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) operators, owning and managing thousands of beds across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. It directly competes with UniLodge for both university partnerships and direct student bookings in the same high-density CBD and university-adjacent corridors.
• Student One: Student One operates PBSA in Brisbane and Adelaide with comparable studio and shared apartment offerings aimed at university students. It competes directly with UniLodge's Brisbane- and Adelaide-based properties, including UniLodge Brisbane City and UniLodge Metro Adelaide.
• Y Suites: Y Suites is an Australian student accommodation operator with PBSA properties across multiple cities. It directly competes with UniLodge for university accommodation contracts and international student placements, particularly in value-to-mid-tier studio and shared room categories.
• Chapter Australia: Chapter operates purpose-built student accommodation across Sydney and other Australian cities. It directly competes with UniLodge's Sydney properties (e.g., Queen Mary Building, Darlington House, Abercrombie) for both University of Sydney and broader international student demand.
• Campus Living Villages: Campus Living Villages is an Australian PBSA provider focused on on-campus and near-campus student villages for multiple universities. It competes with UniLodge's WSU Villages, La Trobe residential colleges and other partnership-managed properties in both metropolitan and regional locations.
• The Pad Student Accommodation: The Pad is a Brisbane-based student accommodation operator with PBSA properties serving QUT, UQ and Griffith students. It competes directly with UniLodge's Brisbane City and Herston properties for the same local student catchment in the Brisbane CBD.
• Iglu: Iglu operates a portfolio of purpose-built student accommodation buildings across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and regional centres in Australia. It targets the same domestic and international student customer base as UniLodge, with a similar university partnership and direct-booking model across studio and shared apartment room types.
• Atira Student Living: Atira Student Living (Aspasia) operates PBSA in New Zealand and Australian cities, competing directly with UniLodge Auckland, UniLodge Wellington and UniLodge Christchurch for New Zealand-based international student demand.

Emerging players

• Arrow on Swanston: Arrow on Swanston (formerly known as UniLodge Melbourne Central-adjacent PBSA) is an Australian student housing operator in Melbourne. It is comparable as a specialty provider serving university students with similar furnished room/apartment offerings in the same Melbourne CBD micro-market.

Broad incumbents

• GSA (Global Student Accommodation): GSA is a large international PBSA investor and operator with assets across multiple geographies including Australia. While not exclusively focused on UniLodge's core ANZ footprint, it is a relevant broad incumbent whose scale and capital access could pressure UniLodge's competitive positioning in shared markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/unilodgeaustralia
• Facebookfacebook.com/UniLodge
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unilodge
• Instagraminstagram.com/unilodgeaus
• TikToktiktok.com/@unilodgeausnz

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UniLodge