GBP 21 billion worth of purpose-built rental property was bought in 2017 alone, as a rising number of Britons are moving into the country’s rental market.
Summary:
- The scale of demand in the UK’s rental sector has been revealed, with six million people expected to be wanting to live in rental accommodation by 2025
- 20.5% of households in the UK are expected to be renting by 2022
- Over 100,000 purpose-built rental properties are estimated to be in the pipeline, as buyers invest heavily into the sector
Is the UK’s rental market able to keep pace with rising demand levels?
As more Britons choose to rent their homes, new research from Hamptons International suggests that, by 2025, six million people will be demanding to access rental property.
From difficulties getting onto the property ladder, to changing generational attitudes towards renting, the rental sector continues to serve as the primary housing market for an increasing number of people in the UK.
The research also forecasts that, by 2022, 20.5% of all British households will be renting, up from 19.4% in 2018.
While Hamptons explored a number of theories as to how homes come onto the rental market, it did highlight the growth of the ‘Build to Rent’ market; purpose-built rental properties from developers funded by private and institutional investors.
As more Britons actively choose to rent their homes, there’s been an increased focus on ensuring that higher quality rental homes are delivered, while there’s also been renewed importance on raising management standards to better support the UK’s growing number of tenants.
The report commented: “Build to Rent only accounts for a small part of the market today, but we estimate there are more than 100,000 units in the pipeline and more to come.”
Analysis shows that the sector is anchored by significant amounts of wealth, with 65% of investor purchases in the sector in 2017 made with cash, totalling GBP 21 billion worth of property sold.
Source: Select Property