Operating at Scale: Managing 20000 Beds, 29 Clients & Rising Regulation

Student Housing: What It Takes to Manage 29 Clients, Thousands of Beds & Rising Regulatory Risk

Rising operating pressure, growing regulatory complexity, and evolving expectations from investors and students — the job of a third-party operator has never been more demanding.

In this episode of the Room to Grow podcast, Sam Scott, Managing Director at Fresh, joins David Tymms to unpack what it takes to operate 20,000+ student beds across 60+ sites for 29 different clients, while keeping performance consistent and stakeholders aligned.

From Fresh’s rollout of Power BI to their stance on Renters Reform and the death of white-labeling, Sam brings a frontline view of where PBSA operations are headed and the strategies they’re using to stay competitive in a fast-changing market.

What’s the episode about?

Listen in for insight into:

• The day-to-day reality of managing 29 clients across PBSA, BTR & co-living
• What Renters Reform could mean for tenancy terms and investor income
• Why Power BI is changing the way clients consume operational data
• How Fresh handles conflicts of interest and overlapping assets
• The slow decline of white-labeling and the true cost of brand ownership
• Why resident experience, not asset branding is the next real value driver
• Challenges with lifecycle planning and repositioning ageing stock
• Outlook for the 2025 intake amid global student and currency shifts

About the guests

Sam Scott is the Managing Director at Fresh, overseeing the operations of 20,000+ beds across PBSA, BTR, and co-living assets in the UK and Ireland. He joined Fresh in September 2022 and brings over 25 years of experience delivering contracted services across hospitality, facilities, and project management in both public and private sectors. Before joining Fresh, he held senior leadership roles at Sodexo and Carillion, managing large-scale corporate, health, and defence contracts.

David Tymms is a Strategic Advisor to the Board at QX Global Group with over 30 years of leadership in student accommodation. He formerly served as COO at iQ Student Accommodation, where he helped scale the business and played a key role in its £4.7B acquisition by Blackstone. Prior to that, he was Director of Residential Services at LSE, leading major innovations in university housing. David brings deep expertise across both public and private PBSA, with a focus on strategic growth and operational excellence.