Press Release: Urban Campus raises €7M From Nexity and Batipart to accelerate its development

• Urban Campus designs and manages coliving and multifamily residences in Europe on behalf of institutional investors. 
• The company announces that it completed a €7M funding round with Nexity and Batipart to expand into new markets.

Paris 8 April 2021,

Urban Campus,  which designs and manages coliving and multifamily residences in Europe on behalf of institutional investors, announces that it completed a €7M funding round with Nexity and Batipart to accelerate its development.

Urban Campus manages 2 residences in Madrid and has a robust pipeline of more than 30 projects in key European cities. The company developed its proprietary technology platform, Dunbar, which is at the core of its operations. Dunbar has a resident-centric interface, optimizes all key residential processes, and enables community management applications.

John van Oost, Urban Campus’ CEO said «We wish to warmly thank Nexity and Batipart for their confidence and support. Both organizations understand the attractiveness of the booming build-to-rent (BTR) sector and the uniqueness of our technology platform. They share our ambition and objective to deliver an enriched residential experience to tenants whilst optimizing the financial returns for institutional investors.»

«Nexity continues to support Urban Campus with whom we collaborate on a number of large coliving and BTR projects in France, Italy, and Germany,»  said Fabrice Aubert, Nexity’s Secretary-General. «We strongly believe in the development of the residential rental market and its value proposition, both for the residents and for investors, with access to common spaces and high-quality services as well as, positive social interactions.»

«Batipart is delighted to participate in Urban Campus’ funding round. We were impressed by the experience that Urban Campus gained in Madrid for the last 3 years and its unique technology platform. We want to support Urban Campus as it accelerates its growth», said Louis Bayon, Batipart’s Managing Director.

Urban Campus was advised by Laurent Camilli at Clearwater International and Pierre-Alexandre Kahn at Weil Gotshal & Menges.

About Nexity

With more than 11,000 employees and €4.9 billion in revenue in 2020, Nexity is France’s leading integrated real estate group, with a nationwide presence and business operations in all areas of real estate development and services for individuals, companies, and local authorities.

Our services platform is designed to serve all our clients as their real estate needs evolve. Firmly committed to focusing on people and how they are connected with each other, their cities, and the environment, Nexity was named the number-one low-carbon project owner in France among real estate developers ranked by BBCA in 2020, is a member of the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI) and obtained Great Place to Work certification in 2020.

Nexity is listed on the SRD, Euronext’s Compartment A, and the SBF 120.

About Batipart

Family group founded by Charles Ruggieri in 1988, Batipart invests in and develops projects in the real estate, hotel, and tourism sectors in Europe, Africa, and North America.

In Europe, the Batipart group is active in 7 countries – Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, and Luxembourg – through its offices based in Luxembourg, Paris, Toulouse, Madrid, and Milan. Its European assets represent €4 billion under management.

In Africa, Batipart is a hotel operator and investor, with more than 20 hotels owned and managed, representing over 700 employees in more than 15 countries.

In North America, Batipart is a real estate investor and operator in Canada and the United States, in partnership and through Cogir Immobilier. With nearly €5 billion in assets under management, COGIR owns 700,000m² of commercial, industrial, and office properties, as well as retirement homes, and employs 3,500 people in Canada and the United States.

Press mentions:

• Expansión
• Business Immo
• Economía de hoy

 

 

Urban Campus is a finalist in the first-ever edition of the Coliving Awards.

We have been nominated in 2 categories!

• “Best coliving operator of the year”
• “Best Community and User Experience”

Coliving Awards is the first award show dedicated to highlighting key innovators, actors, and ideas that are shaping the coliving industry, and contribute to the development of this asset class transforming the future of living.

 

 

The 2021 awards ceremony will take place on May, 6th, after a final vote, which you can participate in by clicking the following links.

• “Best coliving operator of the year”
• “Best Community and User Experience”

You can also head out to the Coliving Awards website for a description of each nominated project.

Thanks to the Coliving Awards team for nominating us and to our great community! We could not be prouder.
We would also like to congratulate the other nominees for their great work and ambition to make the coliving industry flourish.

 

The Giants of Coliving enter Spain

International operators such as Urban Campus, StarCity, Habyt or Dovevivo have already entered the national market and have very aggressive expansion plans for southern Europe.

The Spanish opportunity.

In Madrid, Urban Campus  has 120 beds; Habyt 110 and Homii 180. In Barcelona there is almost a thousand, with The Student Hotel being the most active operator with 595 operational beds and another 3,000 on the way – they also plan on opening in Madrid, with 340 beds, and 328 projected in Sebastián–. You’ll also find in Barcelona Starcity, with 100 beds, and Inedit, with 113. Among future developments, Homii plans to expand its portfolio in Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Valencia, Seville, and Malaga. DoveVivo also plans to open in the capital city and in the city of Turia.

‘Coliving’, the networking residence

One of the markets that seems to go from strength to strength during the current economic and social uncertainty is home rental, and with it, coliving. This phenomenon was born in Silicon Valley after young people faced increasing difficulty finding affordable housing at the beginning of their careers. It is defined as a community and networking space, but also one that is residential. A kind of residence for students (but without an age limit) aimed at young professionals and freelancers, offering more sophisticated common areas such as spas, gyms, swimming pools and coworkings.

“Coliving means a different way of life. A life that’s more flexible, as all services are included in the rate, with an active community. A building where all the tenants are at the same point in life and where they can share experiences ”, explains Javier Caro, director of Coliving at CBRE.

Just as coworking implies better efficiency in using office spaces in densified city centers, coliving also allows better efficient occupancy by prioritizing high residential standards, at affordable prices. Prices usually include WiFi, utility bills, furniture, cleaning services and access to gyms. “In real estate terms, it is an operating asset that combines community management of a student residence, the services of a hotel and the stability of a residential asset, as a result of affordable rents, services on demand and high occupancies ”. In Spain coliving is receiving great recognition in the build to rent sector, largely due to the fact that less than 5% of the total market offer is under professional management “and there is a lack of this kind of experience within the accommodation sector ”, adds the CBRE executive.

International operators such as Urban Campus, StarCity, Habyt or Dovevivo have already entered the national market and have very aggressive expansion plans in southern Europe.

In the specific case of Spain, for the moment it is not a regulated market (we will see if the current Government is capable of restraining itself, with regards to coliving, in its Housing Law, defined with pride as the most interventionist on renting, in Europe). For now colivings can be operated as a residential or hotel asset. The types of rooms will depend on the demand, whether it is aimed at travellers, students (usually postgraduate), or young corporate professionals. As there is no current regulation, the rental agreements can range from 1 to 11 months (while the Urban Leasing Law establishes that the tenant can be linked to the house for 5 to 7 years).

As for prices, currently on average in Madrid rooms in colivings cost around 1,100 euros per month, more or less in line with the rental of a private studio of about 30 square meters, according to CBRE estimates. This makes Madrid one of the most expensive rental capitals in Europe. As some examples: in Amsterdam, a 30-square-meter studio costs less than 1,000 euros per month; in Vienna under 800 euros and in Berlin, 750 euros. In Milan coliving is not yet regulated either and average prices range from 410 euros per month for a basic room, to 1,000 for a bigger room. In Berlin, coliving rents vary from 599 euros in a shared apartment to 1,100 in a studio, with Germany being the most mature market for investing in micro-apartments (1.9 billion euros since 2015, according to CBRE).

Read the full article The Giants of Coliving enter Spain in Spanish

Mellado Madrid Coliving, featured in “Toc toc, se puede” TeleMadrid

A new TeleMadrid TV show that focuses on different housing alternatives came to visit our Mellado Madrid Coliving, to discover how coliving works.

Óscar, one of our residents, guided them through the coliving building, showing them his studio and all common areas.

 

‘Coliving’, a new way of living in Madrid

A private room, a ready-built community & dozens of shared spaces? At first it might seem like what you get with a hotel, but it is far from that. Here the people who rent their little corner of privacy are part of a community or ‘family’ who share common areas and even fridges. It’s called ‘coliving’, and it’s not just a new way of living, but a whole philosophy of life.

Óscar and his girlfriend Lidia met at the Mellado Madrid Coliving, after both deciding to try out this new lifestyle, and they now share a larger studio together.

The ‘coliving’ is a new housing rental offer that strongly appeals to young professionals aged 26 and older, who do not mind sharing a kitchen and television with other tenants. They have their own private place in the form of a studio with an en-suite bathroom, and the rest of the building holds different common areas that encourages everyone to coexist harmoniously. Organization, respect and tolerance are necessary. 

Speaking to TeleMadrid, Ósacar explains that “We’ve not really had problems when it comes to watching TV. There are many common spaces available and it is just a matter of organizing amongst ourselves and reaching an agreement”. To avoid conflicts in the kitchen, which is shared between four studios, each drawer and shelf is assigned to a tenant. “If someone likes coffee and brings a coffee machine, it is shared with whoever needs it, if the owner agrees of course.” Continues Óscar. Although cleaning is included in the rent, next to the dining room table we find a large blackboard displaying different tasks and those assigned to each one (water the plants, cleaning the common spaces etc.). 

A ‘new age’ community

Óscar is from Barcelona, but had been living outside of Spain. When he arrived in Madrid he wanted to try this new lifestyle and described his first sentiments as those of surprise.

The ‘coliving‘ provides accommodation with a private bathroom. The rest of the house is shared. It costs between 750 and 1,200 euros per month, including utilities, wifi, maintenance, cleaning and a fully equipped kitchen. Residents all have access to a gym, fitness studio, a movies room and three terraces, one of which has an urban garden, with the main common space offering a large table where the whole community can come together. The building is located in Chamberí and has 74 studios in total, some of them doubles. “This is a way of life. If you want to interact with others, you can, but if you don’t, just don’t go to the common areas as often.” So far though, it seems that everyone has hit it off very well. “Every two weeks we hold a community meeting to talk about any issues we’re having, and follow it up with a delicious community dinner “.

Advantages and disadvantages of ‘coliving’

Advantages of ‘coliving’

• Everything is included in the rent (utilities, cleaning, maintenance, Wifi & even Netflix)
• You just need to bring your clothes, the rest is provided by Urban Campus.
• Complete cleaning in common areas every week and in private areas every month.
• Opportunity to meet new people.
• The gym is included in the price.

Disadvantages of ‘coliving’

• Loss of some privacy by sharing so many common areas.
• Possibility of disputes derived from living with so many people.

The building has about 300 square meters of common areas. The tenants are between 26 and 40 years old and are professionals. The ‘coliving’  does not admit students. Residents can bring guests but they cannot stay more than seven nights in a row.

 

Urban Campus set to expand in Madrid with 300 new beds in 2021

The French Coliving operator plans to open up three spaces in the Spanish capital within the next year and establish themselves in cities such as Valencia and Málaga.

EjePrime spoke to the CEO of the company, John Van Oost, about Urban Campus’s plans to expand in Madrid. The company will open up three new spaces next year, adding 300 beds to its Madrid portfolio.

Urban Campus seeks to settle in secondary cities such as Valencia or Malaga

In addition to expanding its presence in Madrid, where it already has two coliving spaces, the company plans to expand throughout Spain, and open up two new coliving spaces in Valencia and Malaga next year. 

The French company has an expansion plan to develop coliving spaces in Spain that will add around 2,000 beds to its portfolio. The CEO has ensured that they have institutional investors who are showing significant interest in the Spanish market. 

Before the outbreak of the pandemic in March, the two centers in Madrid registered an occupancy of 98.5%, but in June only 50% of the units were occupied. “Many of our tenants were from Latin America, the United States, Canada, or other European Union states. A lot of them returned home during the first wave,” explains the CEO.

Currently, the occupancy of its spaces is 98.5%

During the summer the occupancy reached 60%. By September, occupancy was again at nearly full capacity, with 98% of units rented. “During confinement, we organized many activities through social media networks“ Van Oost continued, who himself passed the first wave in one of the centers in Madrid. 

The company also incorporates co-working spaces within its coliving centers, “we already believed it was necessary before, but Covid-19 has shown the need to have a functional workspace at home” adds the CEO. 

Currently, the company has two flexible coworking spaces in Madrid. Urban Campus is committed to including these types of spaces in future coliving projects that are large enough to accommodate a dedicated coworking space. However, for the moment, it does not foresee opening new, and exclusively, coworking spaces in Spain.

You can find the original article “Urban Campus set to expand in Madrid with 300 new beds in 2021” in Spanish, here.

 

Urban Campus leading Coliving in Spain

Madrid is the European city with the fewest operative beds in coliving spaces behind London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Milan, and Vienna, according to the study “Europe Co-Living: Key Trends and Key” by CBRE.

Urban Campus is the company with more operative beds and we intend to manage more than 2,500 residential units in the region by 2023 on behalf of leading institutional investors.

Companies, such as The Student Hotel, DoveVivo S.p.A., and Homiii, are other players, in this sector in Spain, regardless of the obstacles found in the Spanish country, according to Ejeprime.

Read the Full article “Urban Campus is leading the Coliving sector in Spain, according to CBRE and Ejeprime” here

 

• Urban Campus is glad to announce the appointment of Ana Martinez de Lizarrondo as Head of Operations for Iberia. 
• Urban Campus already manages 3 residences in the center of Madrid and is now gearing up for the rapid growth of the BTR (built-to-rent) sector in Spain and Portugal. 
• Urban Campus intends to manage more than 2,500 residential units in the region by 2023 on behalf of leading institutional investors with its unique coliving format – which mostly addresses singles and couples without children -, and a more traditional “multi-family” format.

 

Paris, 28th September 2020, the European startup, Urban Campus, is glad to announce the appointment of Ana Martinez de Lizarrondo as Head of Operations for Iberia. 

Urban Campus already manages 3 residences in Madrid’s city center and is now gearing up for the rapid growth of the BTR (built-to-rent) sector in Spain and Portugal.

After proving the success of handling the operation of more than 6000sqm distributed around Madrid, our former Operations Manager Ana Martinez de Lizarrondo, has been appointed “Head of Operations – Iberia”, to focus on scaling up the proven model and guide our operations team in the upcoming new openings of Urban Campus.

“I’m very excited about what is coming next at Urban Campus, and to have the opportunity to lead the Spain and Portugal team through our new openings. We have learned a lot in the past 4 years as the first coliving operator in Spain, and it is time to scale up and keep transforming the residential market. I am honored to be part of this successful and experienced team!” says Ana. 

 

Urban Campus intends to manage more than 2,500 residential units in the region by 2023 on behalf of leading institutional investors with its unique coliving format – which mostly addresses singles and couples without children -, and a more traditional “multi-family” format. 

 

 

Urban Campus residences, whose surface varies between 4,000m² and 8,000 m², are designed based on the findings gathered through economic and sociological studies and observations.

The Urban Campus model is based on new residential needs clearly identified in urban areas:

• A true community identity within the residence, that makes residents feel at home and make connections
• Plug & Play and accessible space design 
• Technology that supports our operation needs

 

The great success of Urban Campus residences in Madrid, with 95% of residents recommending the concept to their friends and 35% extending their stay, is proof about Urban Campus having all the assets in hand to consolidate its presence in the residential real estate segment.

John van Oost, Urban Campus’ CEO said “Ana is a co-founder of Urban Campus and a true entrepreneur. She was instrumental in building an impressive team in Madrid and to deliver strong operational and financial performance for the residences we developed and are managing. She is the right person to lead our ambitious growth in the Iberian region”.

Coliving is not only transforming the way we live in cities but also how spaces are designed and decorated.

Houzz, interviewed Urban Campus Space Designer and Marketing Manager, to write this article about Coliving, a new way of living and decorating.

You can check the full article in Spanish here.