HOUSES in the UK’s top university towns have seen their values soar, research reveals.

In three years, the average house price has risen 22 per cent across 65 university towns – an increase from £172,179 to £210,845.

The top 10 university towns with the largest price growth are all in southern England, led by Guildford, home to the university of Surrey, according to research from lender Halifax. Its homes have increased in value by an average of £105,362, to £458,258.

The greatest percentage increase was in Bedfordshire, where house prices increased by 42 per cent from £200,086 to £284,707 in the last three years.

This is followed by Coventry, where the average price grew from £154,573 to £207,974, an increase of 35 per cent.

The least expensive student town is Paisley which has the University of the West of Scotland with an average price of £122,681.

Russell Galley, managing director of Halifax Community Bank, said property-buying parents will have benefited greatly from housemate rent payments.

He said: “Over the last three years, parents who bought a property for their child to live in while undertaking their studies, could have seen an average gain of 22 per cent on the value of the property. They may also have benefited from rental income from housemates or flat sharers.”

Furthermore, the research shows that over the five years, the growth in house-price value has been even more significant. It averages 38 per cent – or £57,883 – during this time period.