What will the post-pandemic rental home look like?
This week we take a look at the future of design in the rental sector, specifically build to rent: homes designed for rent instead of sale.
2 minutes to read
Our 2020 multihousing report forecasts that this year will be a record year for investment into UK build to rent stock, with a figure topping £4bn for the whole year. But at this pivotal moment, how will current developments need to adapt and what will future buildings look like?
Residential Research Partner, Oliver Knight, explains why the sector has remained relatively resilient to the pandemic and CEO and co-founder of HomeViews, Rory Cramer, discusses what tenants are looking for and why converting offices into residential can make sense if thought through properly.
Value and quality of service are a major focus for every landlord seeking continuity of income through these uncertain times and beyond. The result is that rent collections have been resilient and remained high throughout, averaging 95.2% between March and August.
As the BTR market grows, investors, developers and operators are keen to deliver rental homes which best fit the needs and desires of tenants. One of the themes identified in our Multihousing Report is the expansion of the single family housing market, which we see as a key growth area and is one of the major sources of investor enquiries into our teams this year.
A question we are commonly asked is: What do tenants want? Over the past few years, we have answered this by carrying out surveys of those living in private rented accommodation.
For this year’s Report, we are delighted to have teamed up with HomeViews, the independent reviews website for the sector, to provide a unique and targeted insight into what those living in BTR developments value the most about their accommodation.
Among other things, the findings highlight the importance residents place on both service and community, something which has come to the fore even more in recent months. Understanding the needs of tenants allows us to better advise as to what ‘good’ looks like for operators in terms of facilities, management and design. We hope the views and data shared in this report will help to shape your thinking now and in the future.