What Scape does

Scape is a purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) operator headquartered at 1 Newman Street, London, with finance and registered offices in Harrogate and Leeds. The company operates 10 properties and 4,133 beds across the UK, including nine London locations (Bloomsbury, Canada Water, Hammersmith, Kings Cross, Mile End, Shoreditch, Wembley) plus Guildford and Leeds, and runs a separate Australian business (Scape Australia, scape.com.au). The group comprises five entities — Scape Living PLC, Scape Student Ltd, Scape Operations Ltd, Scape UK Management Ltd, and Scape Development Management Ltd — and employs 184 staff as of 2024.

The core product is a portfolio of fully furnished En-Suite, Studio, and Shared Apartment rooms offered on 42-52 week academic-year leases with all-inclusive pricing covering utilities, Wi-Fi, gym membership, and 24/7 reception support. A dedicated Scape App provides Bluetooth smartphone door entry, maintenance reporting, parcel notifications, and resident communications, while smart key fob access restricts entry to authorised floors. Ancillary revenue is generated through accessory and living packs (bedding, kitchenware), optional cleaning services, summer-stay bookings, and a transaction-fee share from Circuit Laundry cashless laundry facilities. Distribution runs primarily through direct online booking via scape.com, supplemented by 26+ university partnerships (UCL, Imperial, KCL, LSE, UAL, SOAS, etc.), SEO-optimised university-specific landing pages, structured promotional codes (LETSGO, SCAPE30, SUMMER26), and the Uhomes third-party booking agent.

Pricing ranges from £215/week in Leeds to £286/week in Guildford and £291+ per week in London, with a £400 deposit held under the Deposit Protection Scheme. Scape has been voted Student Accommodation of the Year in 2019, 2021, 2024, and 2025, won consecutive RESI Awards for Student Accommodation Operator of the Year (2024, 2025), Outstanding Residential Design (2025), and Property Manager of the Year (2026), and holds a 5-star GRESB rating with the #1 ranking in UK & European student housing. The company is on track for Net Zero Carbon by 2030, holds ANUK accreditation and Unipol/Code compliance, and has announced expansion into the USA market.

Name

Scape

Legal name

Scape Group

Website

https://scape.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Scape is a UK purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) operator running 10 properties and 4,133 beds across London, Guildford, and Leeds, serving undergraduate and postgraduate students on all-inclusive 42-52 week leases with on-site amenities and a dedicated resident app.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Accommodation / Purpose-Built Student Housing (PBSA)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

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), Guest, Visitor & Conference Housing Services (Summer/Break Housing) (EDAEAFAN)

Keywords

• Student accommodation
• Purpose-built student housing
• Studio apartments
• Weekly room rentals
• Co-living residents

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 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 Room Rent: Weekly rent payments from students for accommodation leases typically spanning 42-52 weeks (academic year). All-inclusive pricing covers utilities, bills, gym membership, and Wi-Fi. Revenue is recurring on a weekly/term basis.
2. Summer Stays: Short-term summer accommodation bookings at reduced rates for non-academic period stays.
3. Accessory and Living Packs: Sale of bedding, linen, kitchen, crockery, cleaning and hospitality packs during booking process.
4. Laundry Services: Third-party managed laundry facilities operated by Circuit Laundry with cashless card/app system.
5. Optional Cleaning Services: Additional fee-based cleaning services for rooms and shared spaces beyond standard provision.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Scape operates purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) across 10 properties in London, Guildford, and Leeds, offering furnished rooms (Standard En Suite, Studio, and Shared Apartments) on weekly all-inclusive leases with utilities, gym, Wi-Fi, and 24/7 support. The service is targeted at university students seeking academic-year (42-52 week), semester, or summer accommodation, with ancillary services including parcel management, on-site gym and cinema, study spaces, and managed laundry.

Product overview

Scape is a purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) operator offering a unified living ecosystem where students can book private rooms or shared apartments. The core product is the room portfolio comprising Standard En Suite, Studio, and Shared Apartment types, each featuring all-inclusive bills, superfast Wi-Fi, and 24/7 support. Properties include nine London locations (Bloomsbury, Canada Water, Hammersmith, Kings Cross, Mile End, Shoreditch, Wembley), Leeds, and Guildford. Residents access shared amenities including on-site gyms, cinema rooms, study spaces, communal lounges, and kitchen bars through the Scape App. Additional services include semester and summer stays, laundry facilities managed by Circuit Laundry, and parcel management. The offering is designed for flexibility with no guarantor required and various booking promotions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Student Accommodation Rooms Purpose-built student accommodation rooms offering en-suite, studio, and shared apartment options with all-inclusive bills, 24/7 support, and flexible booking policies across London, Guildford, and Leeds.
• Studio Rooms Studio room type featuring integrated desk, desk chair, storage cupboards, and kitchenette with induction hob, fridge, and microwave for independent student living.
• Scape London Properties Seven Scape student accommodation properties across London neighborhoods (Bloomsbury, Canada Water, Hammersmith, Kings Cross, Mile End, Shoreditch, Wembley), centrally located near major universities.
• Scape Leeds City centre Scape property in Leeds featuring beautifully designed spaces and a world-class gym, built for every side of student life. Rooms from £215 per week.
• Scape Guildford Highest-rated student accommodation in Guildford offering a new standard for student living. Rooms from £286 per week.
• Semester Stays Flexible accommodation options for students studying for one semester, available in London locations.
• Summer Stays Short-term accommodation options for summer periods (June-September), available at Scape Hammersmith and other locations, with promotional codes offering 10% off.
• Scape App Mobile application enabling residents to report maintenance issues, receive notifications, access instruction manuals, and communicate with reception staff 24/7.
• Smartphone Door Entry Bluetooth door opening function available at some Scape sites allowing residents to unlock doors through the mobile app.
• Laundry Services Managed laundry rooms operated by Circuit Laundry using cashless system with laundry cards and mobile app. Cards purchasable at reception for £5.
• Parcel and Mail Management Complimentary mail sorting and parcel collection service where mail is placed in resident post boxes and larger items held at reception with app/email notification.
• Accessory and Living Packs Sale of bedding, linen, kitchen, crockery, cleaning, and hospitality packs offered during the booking process to furnish resident rooms.
• Optional Cleaning Services Additional fee-based cleaning services for rooms and shared spaces beyond standard provision.
• On-Site Gym and Wellness Spaces Free 24/7 on-site gym facilities at all Scape buildings, fully stocked with strength and cardio equipment, plus exercise classes, cinema, and outdoor landscaped spaces for residents to relax and recharge.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10,500kg CO2/year saved through solar panels
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Integration8 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Universities (ACM, Brunel, Birkbeck, City University, Goldsmiths, GSA, Imperial, KCL, Leeds Arts, Leeds Beckett, Leeds Trinity, Leeds University, LSE, Middlesex, Queen Mary, Roehampton, SOAS, Southbank, UAL, UCA, UCL, UEL, ULaw, Surrey, UWL, Westminster)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScape has established partnerships with 26+ UK universities, providing dedicated student accommodation pages and direct referral pathways. These partnerships position Scape as the preferred accommodation option for students at these institutions, with properties centrally located near campuses.
• UhomesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party student accommodation booking agent that processes bookings on behalf of students. Agent bookings are accepted via Uhomes platform.
• ANUK (National Code)coreOthersScape is ANUK accredited and committed to meeting the standards of the ANUK National Code for student accommodation. Complaints can be escalated to the National Code if not resolved internally.
• Deposit Protection Scheme (DPS)coreOthersGovernment-approved tenancy deposit scheme holding and protecting resident deposits. Provides dispute resolution services.
• Unipol/CodecoreOthersScape displays the Unipol/Code National Code logo, indicating compliance with national standards for student accommodation quality and service.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CRM Students: CRM Students is a UK-based student accommodation operator and developer with properties across university cities. It is a comparable mid-sized PBSA peer to Scape, offering similar product types (en-suite, studios) with comparable target customer segments.
• Unite Students: Unite Students is the UK's largest purpose-built student accommodation operator with approximately 78,000 beds across 25+ cities. It is the most directly comparable peer to Scape, operating similar PBSA assets in the same university cities (London, Leeds, etc.) with overlapping customer segments of undergraduate and postgraduate students.
• Host Students: Host Students operates purpose-built student accommodation across UK university cities, providing comparable en-suite and studio rooms to UK university students. It is a direct competitor to Scape in the UK PBSA market with similar operating model and customer base.
• Chapter London: Chapter London is a London-focused purpose-built student accommodation operator with premium positioning across multiple London neighborhoods. It directly competes with Scape in the same London student submarket with overlapping product offerings and customer segments.
• Vita Student: Vita Student operates premium purpose-built student accommodation across UK university cities with a design-led, all-inclusive offering. It is closely comparable to Scape in targeting the premium student segment with high-end amenities, communal spaces, and city-center locations.
• iQ Student Accommodation: iQ Student Accommodation is a major UK PBSA operator owned by Blackstone, serving students in cities including London, Leeds, Manchester, Edinburgh, and others. It is directly comparable to Scape in offering purpose-built student rooms with all-inclusive amenities and serves a similar student demographic across UK university cities.
• Student Roost: Student Roost is one of the UK's largest student accommodation providers with around 30,000 beds across university cities. It directly competes with Scape in the UK PBSA market, offering similar en-suite studios and shared apartments in cities including London, Leeds, and other major university hubs.
• Homes for Students: Homes for Students is a UK student accommodation provider operating PBSA assets across multiple university cities. It directly competes with Scape for UK student housing demand with similar all-inclusive pricing models and university partnerships.

Regional players

• Urbanest: Urbanest is an Australian PBSA operator with properties in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Adelaide offering premium student accommodation. It is a regional peer comparable to Scape Australia, serving the same Australian international and domestic student segments with similar product offerings.
• Iglu: Iglu is a leading Australian purpose-built student accommodation operator with properties in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Adelaide. It is a regional peer to Scape's Australian operations (scape.com.au), offering comparable PBSA product in the same Australian university markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries5 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 Scape