Our Services

AREA offers in depth knowledge, experience and detail at all stages of the lifecycle for Alternative Assets.

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Investment Advisory

AREA has a strong track record in investment services in the beds sector - in particular long income, hotels, PBSA and BTR.  

Our best-in-class team can advise throughout the lifecycle from structuring deals and finance, to identifying opportunities, delivering transactions and asset management.

Market Analysis & Benchmarking

Investment & Portfolio strategy

Acquisitions & Disposals

Funding & Debt Solutions

Asset Management

Strategic Asset Underwriting

Investment building photo 1

Insight Driven Investment Solutions

AREA’s best in class transactional team is underpinned by its detailed due diligence and underwriting which means clients can trust us to be honest about investment opportunities.

Our operational knowledge supports transactions by determining both opportunities and risks that others cannot see in both the short and long term.

Market Analysis & Benchmarking

Investment & Portfolio strategy

Strategic Asset Underwriting

12 month highlights include:

+17

Transactions

+£500m

Volumes of transactions

+2,850

Leased or operational beds

+2,500

Beds unlocked through innovative funding structures

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International Students House

363 PBSA beds | Development Funding & Subject To Planning Land Purchase

Investment Services Case Study

The investment team are driven by long-term relationships and are not afraid to put the hard work in upfront to explore a strategic opportunity that’s right for a client or to advise a client to step away from a deal if it’s not in their best interests.

This approach has established the team as a trusted advisor to Whitbread and its market-leading hotel brand, delivering strategic direction and investment advice.

UK | Hospitality

Current Case Study – Whitbread

AREA advises Whitbread on investment strategy with their Acquisitions team, working to identify opportunities and executing acquisitions and disposals that align with their business objectives and drive long-term value.

Our ability to see the bigger picture and understand the entire lifecycle of an asset provides investors with competitive advantage.

Acquisitions & Disposals

Funding & Debt Solutions

Asset Management

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End-to-end Investment Management

Our ability to see the bigger picture and understand the entire lifecycle of an asset provides investors with competitive advantage.

We provide expert support across acquisitions, funding solutions, and asset management, helping clients deploy capital efficiently, optimise portfolios, and maximise value at every stage of the investment lifecycle.

Acquisitions & Disposals

Funding & Debt Solutions

Asset Management

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International Students House

£55m | Operational PBSA
Investment building photo 5

Aviva

£45m | Leased PBSA
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Lothbury Investment Management

£35m | Leased Hotels
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Whitbread Group plc

£36m | Development Funding Hotels

Speak to an expert

Our experts are handpicked and best in class within the Living and Alternatives sector. They offer advice across the lifecycle of an asset from development to investment and operation. All of us commit to going the extra mile for clients and have a forensic approach to determine and preempt challenges and opportunities.

Sam Bolton
Associate Director
sam.bolton@arealtd.co.uk
+44 7872 101 107
Richard Servidei
Director
richard.servidei@arealtd.co.uk
+44 7713 154 272
Karolina Mickiewicz
Surveyor
karolina.mickiewicz@arealtd.co.uk
+44 7393 341 372
Jamie Prickett
Senior Surveyor
jamie.prickett@arealtd.co.uk
+44 7436 874 540

download our investment presentation

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Operational Advisory

AREA’s Operational Advisory service offers a forensic level of analysis and insight to identify value for clients through ensuring each of our client’s asset has the optimal operating model.

Whether that is identifying opportunities to reduce operating spend or enhancing revenue through changes to leasing strategies, AREA Operational Advisory team guide clients to achieve enhanced financial returns from their living sector investments.

Operator Selection & Tender Management

Revenue Setting & Pricing Audits

Dynamic Pricing Models

Operating Budget Setting & Audits

Scheme Optimisation & Accretive Capital Projects Oversight

Operational Mobilisation Auditing & Scheme Set up

Supplementary Income Optimisation

Operational building photo 1

Operational Oversight – Retained Revenue Setting & Pricing Audits | Operating Budget Audits

Forensically examining operating partners asset strategies identifying red flags and hidden opportunities that support asset performance in both the short and longer term, identifying cost savings and accretive opportunities

Rent Setting & Audits​

Leasing & Dynamic Pricing Models ​

Operating Budget Setting & Audits

+10

Retained Clients

+31

Schemes

+18

Cities

+9,400

Living units

Operational building photo 2

Columbia Threadneedle

381 PBSA Beds
Operational building photo 3

Schroders Capital

239 PBSA Beds
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BlackRock I PBSA

2,706 bed portfolio
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BP Investment Managers

1,615 bed portfolio
(PBSA | BTR | Co-living)

Operational Oversight Case Studies ​

Operating Budget Audit

Verse Cardiff

152 Units I BTR

4.0% reduction in operating expenditure year-on-year. ​

Retender of refuse contract generating 7% saving verses budgeted costs. ​

Restructuring of staffing model reducing site staff and contract services by 14% year-on-year.

Operational building photo 6
Operational building photo 6

Revenue Management

Livin Cardiff

152 Beds I PBA

Acquired in January 2024. ​

Leasing launched late in Q1 2024.​

Room recategorisation to optimise leasing strategy.  ​

12% Year-on-year revenue growth​

Core occupancy of +99%.

Operator Selection & Tender Management

AREA’s forensic approach to operating agreements, working across all operators in the UK living markets, identifies the optimum operating agreement for our clients and their portfolios

Full market tendering  

Competitive dialogue for renewal of operating agreements with incumbent operators

Bespoke operational KPI matrix

ESG operational reporting

+10,000

Living units tendered every year

Operational building photo 8

Columbia Threadneedle

381 PBSA Beds
Operational building photo 9

BP Investment Managers

+500 BTR & Co-living Units
Operational building photo 11

Rushmoor Council

128 PBSA Beds
Operational building photo 12

Confidential

+3,200 PBSA Bed Portfolio

Speak to an expert

Our experts are handpicked and best in class within the Living and Alternatives sector. They offer advice across the lifecycle of an asset from development to investment and operation. All of us commit to going the extra mile for clients and have a forensic approach to determine and preempt challenges and opportunities.

Talitha Russell
Associate Director
talitha.russell@arealtd.co.uk
+44 7876 017 057
Matthew Neal
Director
matthew.neal@arealtd.co.uk
+44 7741 246 899
Karolina Mickiewicz
Surveyor
karolina.mickiewicz@arealtd.co.uk
+44 7393 341 372
James Barrack
Senior Surveyor
james.barrack@arealtd.co.uk
+44 7926 082 615
Ben White
Graduate Surveyor
ben.white@arealtd.co.uk
+44 7387 503 370

download our Operational presentation

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Development Advisory

AREA has a strong track record in development consultancy services to developers and institutional  landlords, providing unique insight from our investment and operational expertise that ensures the viability of delivering projects, whilst setting them up for long-term value enhancing and operational excellence. 

Development Advisory – planning, design, construction and financing 

Maggs House, Bristol

Competitive dialogue for renewal of operating agreements with incumbent operators

Planning promotion including appointment of professional team, supervision of specification, employers requirements and design brief. 

Prepared quarterly cashflows, forecasting and financial returns. 

Development Appraisals

Scheme Viability & Optimisation  

Scheme Optimisation through Design Stages 

Northumberland House, London

First generation ensuite led, direct let PBSA scheme requiring full refurbishment. 

AREA led all macro PBSA market evaluation, room and student offer audit, feasibility studies at RIBA design stages and analysis of demand and rental levels relative to proposed  specifications. 

AREA prepared all operating cost analysis, financial viability testing and operator selection including post capital works asset mobilisation 

Macro Market Intelligence 

Data Evaluation

Financial Modelling

Asset Mobilisation &
Onboarding

The Storehouse, Leeds

Organisation chart with roles and responsibilities matrix for key personnel. 

Creation of mobilisation budgets, advising on initial set-up costs, utility contracts, marketing suite spend, office expenses, facility and service contracts.  

Creation of pre-asset stabilisation cashflow and payroll budgeting analysis.

Oversight of marketing strategy, advising on optimal local advertising campaigns, promotional events, third party marketing fees and digital adverting.

Stabilised operating budget setting and benchmarking. 

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Value Enhancing Capital Projects

Living Sector Asset Refurbishments

Asset manage all design, planning, procurement and contract stages for value enhancing capital Initiatives across PBSA, BRT and PRS schemes including:

1. Conversions 
2. Extensions
3. Refurbishments
4. Amenity upgrades

Financial modelling of value enhancing initiatives.

Speak to an expert

Our experts are handpicked and best in class within the Living and Alternatives sector. They offer advice across the lifecycle of an asset from development to investment and operation. All of us commit to going the extra mile for clients and have a forensic approach to determine and preempt challenges and opportunities.

Talk to us now, we are happy to help.

Matthew Neal
Director
matthew.neal@arealtd.co.uk
+44 7741 246 899
Matt Pickering
Associate Director
matt.pickering@arealtd.co.uk
+44 7826 747 254
James Barrack
Senior Surveyor
james.barrack@arealtd.co.uk
+44 7926 082 615

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Track Record

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