DWS buys its first Spanish student residence in Seville from LaSalle
What's the deal? DWS GroupDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has acquired Palm StudiosDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a 544-bed student residence in Seville, from LaSalle Investment ManagementDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. The deal — made through one of DWS's institutional real estate funds — is the firm's first investment in Spain's purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) sector. Terms were not disclosed.
What's being bought? Opened three years ago, the complex holds 111 parking spaces and a Breeam Excellent certification. Every room has a fitted kitchen, while premium units add a private terrace; shared facilities include coworking space, a gym, cinema, outdoor pool, and a rooftop terrace.
Why Seville? The building sits five minutes from the University of SevilleDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →'s Reina Mercedes campus, which has more than 22,700 students. The Andalusian capital has become Spain's third-largest student housing market after Madrid and Barcelona, driven by a growing university population and limited specialist accommodation.
What's the endgame? DWS sees Spain's living segment as a long-term bet, supported by population growth, rental demand, and supply shortages. Across Spain and Portugal, it manages a €1.9 billion portfolio and holds roughly €300 million in core and core+ capital for new deals.
What else? Beyond PBSA, DWS is eyeing senior living, flex living, and build-to-rent, favouring value-add strategies in markets with structural supply gaps. The Palm Studios purchase "marks a relevant milestone in DWS's growth strategy in the living segment in Iberia," the firm's head of real estate in Spain said (translated from Spanish) .
The signal: A major asset manager entering Spanish student housing signals rising institutional appetite for a sector where demand outpaces supply — and points to Seville's growing pull beyond Madrid and Barcelona.
Read more: ejeprime.com
Image credit: Gene Hunt
