Students now find homes where they spend time, on apps and feeds. For UK landlords, this is a change you can use, not fear. Be visible, be honest, and show how a place fits student life. StudentTenant.com helps landlords list, showcase, and convert students with simple tools and trusted reach. TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube have always been havens for entertainment, but now they also function as rental search engines for students looking for the next best place to rent. By understanding how social platforms work behind student decisions, landlords might use these principles to their advantage in an already competitive market. A strong presence online makes your properties more visible and trustworthy to a generation that values real voices and fast content. In this article, we look at key social media trends shaping student rentals in the UK and show how landlords can make the most of them.
How do students use TikTok?
Students treat TikTok like a fast visual search and a trust check.
They want quick room tours, honest quirks, and local tips in short clips.
A landlord who posts real video wins attention and messages from students.
Short room tours of 30 to 60 seconds
Local clips showing transport or shops nearby
Quick captions or text overlays with rent and bills info
Replies to comments with viewing times and links
TikTok is discovery at speed. Landlords should make short clips that answer the student questions before they ask them. Show the room, the kitchen, the noise level, and a bit of the street outside. Tag the city and use simple captions like rent, bills, and deposit. Students scroll fast, so the first five seconds must show value. Post a clip, reply to comments, and convert curiosity into a viewing or an inquiry.
How do students use Instagram?
Students imagine life from pictures and short reels.
They swipe for lighting, study corners, and how rooms look furnished.
An attractive feed helps your property seem liveable and familiar.
Reels of room setups and shared spaces
Carousel posts for multiple rooms or step-by-step tours
Story highlights with neighbourhood guides and past tenant snaps
Geo tags and student-related hashtags
Instagram sells the idea of living there. Use carousels to show morning light, desk space, shared kitchen, and bike storage. Stories let you post quick availability updates and polls about furnishings. Save highlights per city or university so future students find what they need. Encourage tenants to tag your listing when they move in, and reshare their photos on your feed to add credibility.
How do students use YouTube?
Students use YouTube for deeper research and trust-building.
They watch long walkthroughs, neighbourhood reviews, and move-in vlogs.
A serious landlord can post full tours and short explainers to guide decisions.
Full property walkthroughs with room-by-room detail
Neighbourhood videos showing travel time to campus
Short guides on tenancy steps and bills explained
Tenant interviews and honest pros and cons
YouTube lets you explain and reassure. A ten-minute walkthrough can answer many questions and reduce wasted viewings. Show the journey from station to door, the bus stop times, and where a student might study nearby. Add chapters to the video so viewers can jump to the kitchen or bathroom. Embed these videos on your listings to increase trust and time on page.
Why do students trust peers?
Students prefer real people over glossy ads and agency speak.
Peer videos and reviews feel honest and more useful than perfect photos.
Landlords who let students tell the story get better engagement and fewer surprises.
Micro influencer or tenant video testimonials
Reposts of tenant UGC with permission
Simple quotes or short clips in listings
Encourage honest feedback after move-in
Peer voices lower friction. Invite past tenants to share a short clip about what they liked and what to watch for. Offer a small thank you for posting, not to buy praise but to encourage real accounts. When students see other students living well, enquiries rise. Make sure testimonial posts link back to your listing so the student can check availability fast.
What content attracts students?
Students want useful, honest, and local content they can act on.
They respond to property tours, price clarity, and nearby student life posts.
Content that shows practical student living beats polished but vague imagery.
Clear rent, bills, and deposit info
Photos of study space and storage
Local transport, groceries, and nightlife snippets
House rules and inclusions like Wi Fi and laundry
Practical details reduce doubt. Show a desk, measure windows for natural light, and say if the cooker is electric or gas. Students ask about bills and Wi Fi first, so include that in captions. Map the walking time to campus, and show a local cafe or supermarket that students use. When content answers the main questions, students message rather than ask everything in the first contact.
How do students use hashtags?
Students start with tags when they search for local housing and life.
Hashtags link listings to city feeds and local conversations fast.
Using the right tags helps your posts reach students moving to that town.
City plus student tags like #ManchesterStudents
Neighbourhood tags and uni tags when safe to use
Content tags such as #FlatTour and #StudentLife
Rotate popular and niche tags for a wider reach
Hashtag strategy is simple, small, and local. Use one city tag, one university tag if relevant, and two content tags in every post. Niche tags reach active searchers while broad tags boost impressions. Keep a short tag list for each city and reuse it so your posts appear consistently in the same feeds.
How do students value authenticity?
Students prefer honest posts over perfect staging.
They will notice if photos hide problems or avoid key facts.
Being upfront saves time and builds word of mouth among students.
Show a realistic view of room size and light
Mention any known issues and how they are fixed
Use tenant photos with permissions
Include floor plans and clear measurements
Authenticity converts better than gloss. A simple photo with a note about sound at night or the nearest convenience store wins trust. If you fixed a problem, show before and after so students see you act. Invite tenants to share what they enjoy about living there and use those real moments in your listings.
How do students engage with UGC?
Students post photos and short videos about moves and rooms.
User-generated content becomes social proof and a recruitment channel.
Landlords who encourage UGC get free, trusted promotion from real students.
Create a campaign tag like #MyStudentRoom
Repost tenant content with clear credit
Offer small perks for social posts, such as vouchers
Collect UGC and use it in listing galleries
UGC campaigns are low-cost and high-impact. Ask new tenants to post a single photo with a short caption and tag your listing. Reposting that content adds fresh, honest images to your listing without heavy production. Keep rules simple, be honest about rewards, and always credit the student. It builds a chain of trust among peers who trust their friends more than any advert.
How do students convert online?
Students convert when listings answer their top questions quickly.
Fast replies, clear calls to action, and visible availability close leads.
Social content should nudge students to view the listing or book a viewing.
Clear call to action in each post, like view link or message
Fast reply to comments and direct messages
Link videos and posts to listings
Show availability and next viewing dates
Conversion is about clarity and speed. Every post should make the next step obvious, whether that is a link to check dates or a quick call to book a viewing. Track which posts lead to enquiries so you know what to make more of. Use the same language in the post and listing so students feel they have reached the right place.
How can landlords reach students?
With regular, honest content and local signals, you can be found.
A steady plan, simple videos, and quick replies make your properties stand out.
Use StudentTenant listings as the final destination for enquiries.
Post three short pieces a week, mix reels and photos
Show practical student features like study areas and storage
Use listings as the final destination for enquiries
Track clicks and adjust what students respond to
A routine wins. Create a simple weekly plan, film a room tour, post one neighbourhood clip, and reshare tenant photos. Link each post to your listing so students can book and pay securely. Over time, you will learn which parts of your property attract messages and which need better presentation.
Conclusion: small actions, steady returns
For UK landlords, social media is now part of letting work, not extra fluff. Post honest tours, show local student life, and make the next step easy. StudentTenant.com helps you list, show, and manage student enquiries so you reach the right students more often. Start small this week, and grow what students respond to. By linking your efforts back to StudentTenant, you ensure a trusted path from curiosity to contract, which makes your work smoother and your tenants happier. Call to action: Ready to attract more students? Visit StudentTenant.com, create your listing, and share your first short tour to meet students where they already scroll.