Portugal

Smart Studios wants to fund €205M with the sale of student residences

Smart Studios wants to fund €205M with the sale of student residences

Smart Studios has placed on the market a portfolio of residences for displaced students and professionals, in the amount of 205 million euros.

This portfolio, dubbed Project Move, includes 587 apartments in Lisbon (leased), over 400 under construction at the Asprela hub in Porto and 1,200 still in pipeline, with the respective architectural projects approved.

The deal will be made in forward purchase format. Buyer and seller sign a purchase and sale agreement at a defined price for a property still under development, and the current administration receives the full amount only when all the apartments in the portfolio are built.

According to Ricardo Kendall, founder and CEO of Smart Studios, the set offered for sale at the end of November has received a lot of interest from several international investors, and 30 confidentiality agreements have already been signed. “There has been a strong demand. We are having visits [to the residences], mainly from foreign groups», he advances to Eco.

Ricardo Kendall identifies that «all projects have their timings and moments. Right now, everything student housing and coliving is going well. And, even during the pandemic, the student housing showed great resilience». He therefore considers it “natural that there is a lot of demand for this type of product”.

The period for submitting non-binding proposals runs until 14 January. February 27 is the deadline for binding proposals, and the process can be completed between March and April. According to Ricardo Kendall, "it is more or less clear that, in 2022, the company will be sold".

Smart Studios currently has 9 residences in Lisbon, namely in Santa Apolónia, Carcavelos, Janelas Verdes (Santos), Ajuda, Laranjeiras and Campolide. Next year, he will open a new residence in Asprela, Porto, with 280 apartments and common areas. Another 5 residences are planned until 2024 for Lisbon.

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