'My rent was higher than my student loan' - the booming cost of private halls

'My rent was higher than my student loan' - the booming cost of private halls You don't have to walk far in any university city before spotting some form of private Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA). These large blocks of student housing are springing up in cities across the UK, yet rents continue to soar and young people studying at university say they're still finding it difficult to secure a place to live. The increase in PBSA has predominantly been driven by private companies, with many developments targeting more affluent international and postgraduate students, who industry experts say are becoming increasingly important to the sector. Developers say they are meeting a market demand but campaigners argue that they are too expensive for most Scottish students and more affordable housing should be being built instead. Twenty-year-old Lara Reader told the BBC that when she applied for student accommodation at Edinburgh University she did not expect to be allocated the most expensive option on her list.