PRESS RELEASE
9 January 2013
THE UNITE GROUP PLC
(“UNITE”, the “Group”, or the “Company”)
VALUATION OF
THE UNITE UK STUDENT ACCOMMODATION FUND AS AT 31
DECEMBER 2012
The UNITE Group plc, the UK's leading developer and manager of student
accommodation, today reports the Estimated Net Asset Value* ("NAV") of the UNITE
UK Student Accommodation Fund (the "Fund", “USAF”) as at 31 December 2012.
The NAV as at 31December 2012 was £678.5m, reflecting an increase of 1.3% during
the fourth quarter (30 September 2012: £669.6m), and an uplift of 8.7% over the 12
months to 31 December 2012 (31 December 2011: £624.5m). The total return for the
year including the payment of income distributions was 14.2%.
The principal components of the movement in NAV were as follows:
Effect on NAV:
Movement in property values
Movement in swap values
Partial Landsbanki recovery
Other factors
Increase in NAV
Increase in underlying gross property
portfolio value on a like for like basis
Q4 2012
2012
0.5%
0.8%
0.3%
-0.2%
1.3%
4.5%
1.4%
2.3%
0.5%
8.7%
0.4%
3.0%
In arriving at the value of the Fund, its property portfolio, which comprises 21,826
beds in 60 properties across 20 UK towns and cities, was independently valued at
£1,320m. During the quarter the Fund acquired an asset in Glasgow comprising 477
beds for £31m.
The value of the assets held throughout the quarter increased by 0.4% due to rental
growth since 30 September 2012. In the 12 months to 31 December 2012, the value
* Estimated Net Asset Value represents the capital position of the Fund and does not include undistributed income.
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of the property portfolio held by the Fund increased, on a like for like basis, by 3.0%,
again driven principally by rental growth.
The increase in the value of the property portfolio in the quarter, after taking
account of lifecycle expenditure and gearing resulted in 0.5% growth in the NAV as
outlined in the table above.
Average valuation yields increased by 1bps during the quarter to 6.68%.
In October, the Fund received a further payment of £1.76m from Landsbanki,
representing the second instalment of repayment of the £30m deposit it placed with
the bank in 2008. The Fund provided for the full amount of the deposit in 2008 and,
therefore, the recovery added to the growth in NAV by 0.3% in the quarter. During
2012 the Fund received a total of £14.23m of cash from Landsbanki, adding 2.3% to
the annual total return.
Commenting on the Fund’s valuation, Joe Lister, UNITE’s Chief Financial Officer, said:
“USAF has delivered another strong performance in 2012 with a total return of 14.2%.
These consistently strong results, against a challenging economic backdrop,
demonstrate the continued attractiveness of USAF and the student accommodation
sector to UK and overseas investors.”
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
The UNITE Group plc
Joe Lister, Chief Financial Officer
Paul Harris, Communications Director
Sophie Joyce, Corporate Communications
Tel: 0117 302 7004
FTI Consulting
Stephanie Highett
Dido Laurimore
Faye Walters
Tel: 020 7831 3113
About The UNITE Group
The UNITE Group is the UK’s leading developer and manager of student
accommodation, with a business model that focuses on two core areas:
1.
Development and Asset Management: UNITE undertakes the acquisition,
planning and development of purpose-built student accommodation in the
UK. Through the continuous assessment of quality and location of its
investment portfolio, UNITE is well positioned to deliver value-adding strategies
to those assets where further opportunities are identified. Working on behalf of
its partners, UNITE acts as Fund Manager for the UNITE UK Student
Accommodation Fund in which it owns a 16.3% share. UNITE also manages a
number of Joint Venture partnerships.
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2.
Professional property management: UNITE is home to 42,000 students in over
130 properties across 23 of the UK’s strongest university cities, and has
consistently proven high occupancy levels across its portfolio.
The Group works closely with higher education institutions in order to deliver high
quality, well-located student accommodation at affordable prices in strong higher
education markets. In 2012 UNITE won the South West Business in the Community
Carbon Reduction Award for its environmental initiatives and the Global Real Estate
Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) named UNITE as a regional sector leader for
sustainability.
Founded in 1991, UNITE is a FTSE 250 company listed on the London Stock Exchange
(UTG). For more information, please visit www.unite-group.co.uk or www.unitestudents.com.
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