The residential property market in Cambridgeshire is performing well, impacted by the ‘global brand’ of Cambridge and the diversity of its market trends.
Research by property consultants Bidwells has found that Cambridge and the surrounding county has seen its residential property market rise three times quicker than the UK national average.
In the next 20 years, population growth in the Cambridge area is expected to be 24.5 per cent, placing pressures on demand on the city. Additional factors contributing to the success of the rental market are Brexit, high performing schools, improved transport links and the significant increase in housing throughout Cambridgeshire.
Rental costs have increased by approximately 3 per cent in the last 12 months with an average rent of just over £1250pcm in Cambridge. The strength of migration into Cambridge provides one of the key drivers of the residential lettings market.
One of the main reasons of this influx is due to the expansion of the Biomedical Campus where the total jobs on site at present are circa 12,300 with 7,500 to be created for the coming year, providing a total of 19,800 employees eventually on site.
It is not only the current influx of AstraZeneca employees that is significant but also other large companies and institutions such as Cambridge University, ARM and Addenbrookes Hospital, that have under-pinned the lettings market for many years now and will continue to do so in future. More recently companies such as Amazon, Microsoft Research and Apple to name a few, have joined the expanding technological highway of silicone fen.
Brexit, and the general uncertainty towards house values has meant that many people are opting to rent, boosting demand in the private rental sector.
Secondly, the number of high performing schools and colleges with a world leading university continues to attract many people wishing to live and work in Cambridge. Vitally, 64 per cent of residents in the area said that living within walking distance to a school was very important to them.
The confirmation of a Cambridge South Train Station opening next year highlights that Cambridge is an ideal location for London commuters too.
Source: Residential Landlord