Student Accommodation: Ownership, Responsibility and the Evolving Duty of Care – Webinar with RLB

Title: Student Accommodation: Ownership, Responsibility and the Evolving Duty of Care – Webinar with RLB
Time: 15.00 - 16.00 (UK Time)
Date: 03 September 2026 

Synopsis:

The student accommodation landscape has changed significantly over the past decade. Many universities no longer directly own or operate their accommodation, instead relying on third‑party providers and nomination agreements.

Despite this shift, student and parent expectations remain unchanged: accommodation associated with a university is assumed to be safe, compliant and well‑governed.  This creates a growing tension between ownership and responsibility. While legal ownership may sit elsewhere, universities continue to carry reputational, governance and assurance responsibilities - particularly where accommodation is recommended, marketed or implicitly endorsed.

This session is designed to encourage informed discussion across the AUDE community around duty of care beyond ownership. It will explore how universities are currently assuring themselves that third‑party accommodation providers are operating safely and compliantly, and whether existing due‑diligence approaches are robust enough in the context of the evolving building safety regime. 

The conversation will be framed through the lens of governance, assurance and reputational risk, linking directly to the Building Safety Act, BSPO requirements and the wider building safety agenda facing the sector.

Reasons to attend:

• Explore how different student accommodation models affect responsibility and accountability (owned vs third‑party)
• Challenge what “good” due diligence currently looks like across higher education
• Understand how student and parent expectations shape institutional risk
• Explore where accountability should sit going forward - and how universities can evidence appropriate oversight and assurance

Speakers:

Samantha Mepham, National Head of Health & Safety, Rider Levett Bucknall

Samantha Mepham is RLB’s National Head of Health & Safety Services and a Chartered health and safety professional specialising in CDM. With 20+ years’ experience, she has delivered health and safety solutions across multiple sectors and complex schemes, building early experience in manufacturing and police training. Samantha provides a broad range of services, including Principal Designer and CDM Advisor roles, auditing, and the development and delivery of bespoke training for internal and external clients. She is also qualified in Building Safety Management and leads implementation of requirements introduced by the Building Safety Act across regulatory environments and organisational transformation programmes.

Zoe Cox, Senior Health & Safety Consultant, Rider Levett Bucknall

Zoe Cox MCIOB is a Senior Health & Safety Consultant at Rider Levett Bucknall, based in Birmingham. She supports clients in delivering projects safely and effectively, providing health and safety advice throughout the project lifecycle. Zoe is a TechIOSH-qualified practitioner with experience working alongside multidisciplinary teams to help manage risk, promote compliance, and support successful project outcomes. She works closely with clients, designers, contractors and stakeholders to embed health and safety considerations into planning, design and delivery processes.