Advanced Industrialised Methods for the Construction of Homes (AIMCH), the three-year project to support the sector to tackle the UK housing crisis, has arrived at an answer to the UK’s chronic housing shortage. Following 18 months of intense collaboration and research, AIMCH partners Stewart Milne Group (SMG) and L&Q have
Leading Repairs and Maintenance contractor, HMS, has been engaged by Cobalt Housing to work with specialists Aico and HomeLINK to incorporate innovative technology into 96 homes within Cobalt’s neighbourhoods. Piloting this environmental technology for the first time in the North West, Cobalt and HMS are strengthening their commitment to futureproofing
Dealing with damaged or neglected old metal windows can be a genuinely daunting challenge for property owners or their maintenance teams, but replacement – especially using modern alternatives – is rarely the only answer as specialist contractor Associated Steel Window Services (ASWS) can attest. In work across the South-East and
National housebuilder Keepmoat Homes welcomed the Mayor, Councillor Rob Tromans, to a ribbon cutting ceremony at its Exhall Gardens development in Coventry. The launch, which took place on Friday 4th February, celebrated the official opening of the development’s sales centre and show homes. The event consisted of a tour of
A multi-million-pound housing development and regeneration scheme that has transformed an historic part of Salford is now complete. The £22million Poets redevelopment project in Swinton is now finished and fully occupied – bringing 160 brand-new homes and breathing new life into the area, which is also known as Beechfarm. Poets
A leading South West housing association is growing its maintenance team as part of plans to provide a single in-house service across LiveWest. Over the course of the next five years, it is hoped that circa £5m savings will be made by bringing all repairs, voids and kitchen and bathroom
Partner Housing, in association with Flagship Homes, celebrated the start of works on a new housing development in Necton, Norfolk; The £9.7 million development will see 73 new homes built, with a mix of Shared Ownership and Social Rent properties; Work is expected to finish on the site, called Tower
Westcountry homebuilder Cavanna Homes has officially opened the doors to its two show homes at Cavanna @ Elm Park, a new community of 245 open market and affordable homes near Exeter city centre. Cavanna Homes employees Craig Oldham, Senior Site Manager, Liana Smith, Sales Advisor and Sarah Bowden, Sales Manager
Construction work is about to start on a new development in Ely which will deliver more than 250 new homes and a new cricket pitch and pavilion in the city. Linden Homes, part of the Vistry Group, is preparing to build 258 properties at its new Willow Woods development, off
Research from specialist property lending experts, Octane Capital, has revealed which areas of the British rental market are driving growth in rental stock availability, as well as the areas where tenants have seen availability decline. Despite the government’s attempts to deter buy-to-let investment, previous research by Octane Capital found that
Advanced Industrialised Methods for the Construction of Homes (AIMCH), the three-year project to support the sector to tackle the UK housing crisis, has arrived at an answer to the UK’s chronic housing shortage. Following 18 months of intense collaboration and research, AIMCH partners Stewart Milne Group (SMG) and L&Q have developed housing blueprints for developers, housing associations and SMEs to bring affordable homes to market quickly and cost effectively. The affordable housing pattern books, featuring 24 designs, have been created to facilitate the construction of cottage flats, bungalows, semi-detached and terraced houses, all of which offer the flexibility to meet planners needs, and to fit in with local character. Designs from the pattern book can also be pieced together to accommodate a range of elevations and streetscapes. A central element of the type approved housing collections is their use of closed panel MMC timber technology, optimised to meet 55% PMV (Premanufactured Value), a requirement of Homes England grant funding. Their 0.20 U-Value provides a fit-and-forget, fabric first approach to energy efficient building envelope, set to comply with new Jun 22 Part L building regulations. Both gas and ASHP heating options are factored into the designs, and the layout and fabric efficiency of the building envelope ensures that homes in the pattern books are heat pump ready as we move towards zero gas developing, making it easy to use the technology now or retrofit in the future. In creating the pattern books, the developers have leveraged learnings from Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA), Design Standardisation and Product Families (Kit of Parts) and BIM (3D modelling) outputs. AIMCH developers plan to exploit the standard house type pattern books on their own sites, or through strategic partnerships with other developers and clients. Through Stewart Milne Timber Systems, some of the homes will be available under free of charge license agreement, for other developers to use, as a whole house MMC supply chain solution. This novel approach, means SMEs, smaller HA/developers and new entrants, have immediate access to a range of fully considered, efficient and technically robust affordable homes, for use on their site, reducing development costs and fast-tracking appraisals and planning consents. Pattern books feature: L&Q range – 6 designs ● Two and three bedrooms ● Two storey accommodation, suitable for terracing ● All homes 100% compliant with NDSS ● Beyond the AIMCH R&D project, further L&Q typologies are planned. SMG House Range – 18 designs ● Wide mix of one to four bedroom homes ● Two storey accommodation, suitable for terracing ● Broad range of typologies including bungalows and cottage flats ● Homes offer 85% and 100% NDSS compliance Stewart Milne Group (SMG) and L&Q are confident that the pattern book route will guarantee fast delivery of high quality homes at reasonable cost and plan to deploy the designs in their own development portfolio from Spring 2022. In the case of Stewart Milne Homes, current affordable housing developments are being remixed or designed from scratch, using the new range of homes. L&Q are similarly rolling out their range on all new sites, as these come through their production pipeline. Stewart Dalgarno, Director of Innovation and Sustainability at Stewart Milne Group, and AIMCH Project Director said, “Typically, in the affordable homes sector, design and housing procurement are done on an isolated project-by-project basis, which potentially leads to higher costs, inefficiencies and variability in quality. Because of this, AIMCH sees enormous potential for accelerated use of pattern books in the sector. “Homes England affordable housing funding is already encouraging a more diverse mix of affordable home providers – SMEs and new entrant developers. This group is unlikely to have in-house technical teams to develop house type designs and associated collateral, so being able to reach for pre-configured, pre-approved housing designs, that can be deployed at pace, to accelerate and increase overall housing output is going to be an attractive option. “Furthermore, through endorsement from regulators, funders, and insurers, AIMCH believes that housing pattern books and standardised products will become commonplace in the affordable housing sector.” Wayne Hill, Production Strategy Director at L&Q said, “L&Q is proud to be leading the way in the adoption of off site technologies in the affordable housing sector. These developed approaches offer a clear way for housebuilders, housing associations and local authorities to adopt MMC methods, and the efficiencies which come with them, to build homes for those who need them the most. We have an ambitious roadmap which is seeing us roll out MMC across our development programme, and look forward to utilising the great learning of this project in our portfolio this year.” AIMCH see pattern books, together with the use of standardised product families, DFMA and BIM, developed in an earlier part of their research, as key ingredients in transitioning residential construction towards, industrialisation and off-site manufacturing, transforming how homes are delivered.
Leading Repairs and Maintenance contractor, HMS, has been engaged by Cobalt Housing to work with specialists Aico and HomeLINK to incorporate innovative technology into 96 homes within Cobalt’s neighbourhoods. Piloting this environmental technology for the first time in the North West, Cobalt and HMS are strengthening their commitment to futureproofing properties, which is especially important giving the rising cost of energy and the impending zero carbon targets facing the industry. Designed to help manage housing stock more intelligently, HomeLINK provide environmental sensors that monitors a range of data, such as temperature and CO2 humidity levels in properties, to create and maintain safer, healthier and more eco-friendly homes and communities. Being fitted into nearly 100 of Cobalt’s 6,000 homes by HMS’ team of qualified electrical engineers, SmartLINK Gateway will help social landlords monitor properties and keep customers safe by identifying any risks with fire and carbon monoxide alarms, monitoring indoor air quality, risk of mould and how much electricity is being used. Residents will also have access to a personalised app, enabling them to monitor levels within their home, and access advice on making sure they’re doing all they can to keep their home working at optimum performance. Discussing the pilot scheme, Maintenance Director, Alison Brown, said: “As a safety-first organisation, and one with ambitious green targets of our own, this pilot was one that appealed to us on multiple levels. It’s great to partner with such forward-thinking organisations to install technology that will truly help Cobalt and their customers to life in a safer, more environmentally friendly way.” Chris Fray, Technology and Transformation Manager at Cobalt, continued: “HMS have been fantastic to work with on this project, installing devices promptly, effectively and to a high standard. Crucially, HMS has acknowledged the value in sensors and how they will become a significant part of the social housing sector in years to come, becoming a contract that is required and delivered in the same vein as voids, gas and repairs and maintenance. We hope this exposure and experience will be of benefit to them too in years to come.” Jordan Toulson, Product Manager at HomeLINK, said: “This technology promises to be the standard within social housing in the coming years; Cobalt are proving themselves to be ahead of the curve by progressing such a roll-out now and HMS have proven their fantastic capability to install market-leading devices accurately, enabling the data to start flowing from the properties.”
Dealing with damaged or neglected old metal windows can be a genuinely daunting challenge for property owners or their maintenance teams, but replacement – especially using modern alternatives – is rarely the only answer as specialist contractor Associated Steel Window Services (ASWS) can attest. In work across the South-East and further afield, the London-based company carries out a wide variety of contracts, addressing everything from heritage steel windows in listed buildings, to the maintenance of more modern W40 section and aluminium frame fenestration and curtain walling. Crucially, in almost all circumstances, timely intervention by ASWS can greatly extend the working life of windows; saving building owners from the cost and greater inconvenience of full replacement. Aside from the financial and logistical advantages, there are wider environmental benefits to refurbishing older windows which are becoming more valued, as the properties where we live and work come under scrutiny for their contribution to climate change. Straightforward routine maintenance will help ensure that opening lights close correctly and that weather-stripping is replaced when necessary; both cutting down on unwanted air and heat leakage. It is also possible to replace damaged or corroded sections and straighten or ‘reset’ distorted frames; either on site or in the workshop. Single glazing, which was standard in most steel windows until late last century, can be replaced with varying thicknesses of double-glazed unit, depending on the size of the rebate. Conventional IG starts at a slender 3-4-3mm make up and can benefit from warm edge spacer bars and gas filling, but new generation vacuum glazing offers much better performance, though at considerable cost. There is also a health and environmental benefit to removing all of the original lead paint still covering many older windows along with its responsible disposal. So the question is what to do with windows which really are beyond economic repair? While the price of scrap metal continues to fluctuate, the value of recycling has never been higher, with responsible contractors ensuring that they have separate skips for clean and dirty metal in order to maximise recovery. ASWS, however, goes much further having operated its own salvage operation for decades. Wherever possible, the team saves everything from old ironmongery, beads and even ‘Whitworth’ screws for reuse at a later date. In fact, the recent replacement of an old building at the front of the London premises has created even more room for this library of spare parts to be further expanded. As Laura Mercer, Managing Director of ASWS, observes: “We have got handles and other ironmongery from 40 years ago which we can reuse for current jobs when new replacements simply aren’t available, as well as the skills to make a full range of repairs and improvements. The best recycling you can do is re-using components to extend the useful life of windows and improving their performance at the same time.” Associated Steel Window Services is a member of The Steel Window Association (www.steel-window-association.co.uk). For further information on Associated Steel Window Services, please visit www.asws.co.uk or call 020 8665 5335.
National housebuilder Keepmoat Homes welcomed the Mayor, Councillor Rob Tromans, to a ribbon cutting ceremony at its Exhall Gardens development in Coventry. The launch, which took place on Friday 4th February, celebrated the official opening of the development’s sales centre and show homes. The event consisted of a tour of the development and a ribbon cutting ceremony to launch its newly built sales centre and 2-bedroom Pixton and 3-bedroom Embleton show homes. “It was a delight to join Keepmoat Homes in the launch of their sales centre and show homes, and look forward to welcoming the new residents,” commented Mayor Rob Tromans. The new development, consisting of 129 new homes, comprises a mixed tenure of two, three and four-bedroom houses and apartments, 25% of which will be made affordable and available for Shared Ownership and Affordable Rent. “We’re absolutely delighted to launch our brand-new sales centre and show homes here at Exhall Gardens. Our array of homes are perfect for first time buyers, growing families and downsizers, and we encourage everyone to book a viewing of our stylish new show homes,” added Charlotte Goode, Regional Managing Director at Keepmoat Homes. Keepmoat Homes is a top 10 UK home builder and leading partnership home builder providing high quality and affordable homes across the country. Committed to a multi-tenure strategy, the company partners with local authorities and registered providers to deliver much needed new homes for sale, affordable rent, and the private rental sector.
A multi-million-pound housing development and regeneration scheme that has transformed an historic part of Salford is now complete. The £22million Poets redevelopment project in Swinton is now finished and fully occupied – bringing 160 brand-new homes and breathing new life into the area, which is also known as Beechfarm. Poets has been a major redevelopment scheme from housing association Salix Homes and has seen 146 defective properties, that were affected by structural issues, demolished. In their place, Salix Homes has built 120 new social housing properties, plus a further 40 homes for outright sale, available through the Government’s Help to Buy scheme. Sue Sutton, chief executive at Salix Homes, said: “Construction at the Poets began five years ago, but we’ve been developing proposals with the community for many years before that alongside Salford Council, so to see the development finally complete and those ambitions for Poets brought to life is a monumental moment for the area and the community. “This area has always been known for its real strength of community, and we have endeavoured to preserve that community spirit throughout the development, so it’s fantastic to see residents, both new and old, settled and making memories in their new homes. “At a time when social and affordable housing is in such short supply, we’re incredibly proud that Poets has increased housing choice in the area, bringing new, modern homes to both people on the social housing register and aspiring homeowners.” The mixed tenure development of two, three and four-bedroom homes, marks the first new-build scheme for Salix Homes and its first properties available for sale as part of its affordable home-ownership brand – Willo Homes. New homeowner Robin Capon was one of the last residents to get the keys, moving into his new three-bedroom home on Christmas Eve, and the 30-year-old accountant has finally seen his ambition to get on the property ladder become a reality. He said: “I’d been renting for many years, so it was such a relief to finally get the keys and move in. I’d always wanted a new-build as I like the idea that you don’t need to do anything to the property and can just move straight in. “I didn’t really think it would feel much different to renting, but it does. It’s the first house I’ve lived in that’s actually mine and I’ve become really house proud. I love it here.” Poets derives its names due to the surrounding streets being named after famous wordsmiths, which include Shakespeare Road, Wordsworth Road and Tennyson Road. Existing residents have been involved in the redevelopment process from start to finish, and those affected by the demolition proposals were given priority for moving back into the new-build properties. The wider estate has also benefitted from additional investment to make environmental improvements, including new gates, fencing and landscaping. Councillor Tracy Kelly, Statutory Deputy City Mayor and Lead Member for Housing, Property and Regeneration at Salford City Council, said: “It is fantastic news to hear this impressive housing scheme is now finally complete. “In Salford we are desperate for affordable properties for local people to live in and we are living with a national housing crisis. These 120 new social homes will make such a huge different to the lives of people who move into them. “I’d like to thank all involved with this successful project and I look forward to visiting very soon.” Salix Homes is now working on other new-build, affordable housing developments across Salford, which includes Neighbourhood – a 157-home development in Seedley; and Greenhaus – an eco-friendly apartment block on Chapel Street.
A leading South West housing association is growing its maintenance team as part of plans to provide a single in-house service across LiveWest. Over the course of the next five years, it is hoped that circa £5m savings will be made by bringing all repairs, voids and kitchen and bathroom planned programmes in-house. Last month, new colleagues joined from MD Group, who have provided day-to-day repairs and void works services to 2,700 LiveWest homes across Bristol and South Gloucestershire since 2014 and further recruitment is taking place to deliver the full range of services to customers. The move will not only create new jobs but improve stimulation for the local economy. Liane Sheppard, LiveWest’s Director of Property Services, said: “We have been working hard for the last fewyears to gradually insource key services and works to help ensure that we are providing the same high-level customer service across all of the areas we operate. “Bringing our repairs and maintenance in-house will deliver us significant savings, reduce our costs and improve service quality. In the Somerset, Bristol and Gloucestershire area LiveWest have historically outsourced repairs and maintenance services to several partnership contractors. In April, the electrical testing contract and kitchen and bathroom contract will also be insourced.” In July 2019, LiveWest welcomed new colleagues from Spectrum Property Care to deliver repairs and voids works to 1,800 homes in the Frome area in Somerset. LiveWest have also invested in two new minor project teams to deliver complex managed repairs including a focus on improving properties. The new teams will bring together people from across Asset and Property, as well as new roles, to ensure responsibility and accountability, and improve customer experience. Due to the challenges of operating in a Covid environment, this year is set to be busier than ever for the new teams with an increase in volume of managed repairs which includes roof repairs to replacement retaining walls. The team structure will continue to evolve as LiveWest’s insourcing progresses across the operational area, reducing the number of contractors supporting its in-house Maintenance Service. Liane added: “Insourcing builds in-house capacity, facilitates the joining up of services, shores up financial flexibility, manages quality standards, improves customer experience and boostsemployee morale. We have continued investment in our teams to ensure we have the right amount of support to deliver a quality repairs and maintenance service that is customer focussed and responsive. It’s exciting times for the LiveWest property team.” “Recruiting across property maintenance has been quite challenging over the past year. There is a skills shortage so we’ve had to think outside of the box. We have reviewed our terms and conditions for current and future colleagues to ensure we are offering a great benefits package. We are really confident we are offering one of the best out there. We’re also investing in the future, and have a great apprenticeship programme” LiveWest has invested heavily in their successful apprenticeship programme, which will see around 18 apprentices join the property team just this year. Five new starters joined last month and we have offered another 10 so far, following a comprehensive assessment centre and interview process. The focus of LiveWest’s apprenticeship drive has been on attracting talent of all ages and backgrounds to ensure the workforce is as diverse as possible. LiveWest has been encouraging people to change their career and try out for the apprenticeship programme. Some 40% of the new apprentices are female with more and more women taking up a career in the trades.
Partner Housing, in association with Flagship Homes, celebrated the start of works on a new housing development in Necton, Norfolk; The £9.7 million development will see 73 new homes built, with a mix of Shared Ownership and Social Rent properties; Work is expected to finish on the site, called Tower Mill, in early 2024 United Living New Homes subsidiary Partner Construction and leading housing provider Flagship Homes held a ground-breaking ceremony this week to celebrate the start of works on the brand new £9.7 million Tower Mill housing development in Necton, Norfolk. The ground-breaking ceremony was attended by Frank Lincoln, Regional Managing Director of Partner Construction | United Living New Homes, and Tony Tann, Managing Director of Flagship Homes, to celebrate this milestone. On behalf of Flagship Homes, Partner Construction is creating 73 new homes on North Pickenham Road in Necton, delivering much-needed affordable housing for the local community. The residential development will feature a mix of two-bedroom bungalows, one-bedroom walk-up flats, and two, three-, and four-bedroom houses. Supported by Homes England funding, the properties are 100% affordable, with a mix of Shared Ownership and Social Rent ensuring genuine affordability for residents. The development is in a beautiful rural location and includes green open space, with landscaping plans to ensure the scheme looks attractive and in keeping with the surrounding area. This is one of two projects delivered in close partnership between Partner Construction and Flagship Homes, with a second scheme in Walton-on-the-Naze in Essex. The £8.4 million, 100% affordable development will create 53 new homes to provide much-needed new housing for the local area. Frank Lincoln said: “We are delighted to celebrate the start of construction works at Necton with a turf cutting ceremony. Working collaboratively with Flagship Homes, we look forward to delivering high-quality new homes that will provide a welcome housing boost to the local community. “We pride ourselves on supporting people with our affordable homes and employing a workforce on site that will be made up of local labour and contractors. With our homes, we are determined to ensure that the housing market better serves young first-time buyers and families on low to average incomes.” Tony Tann said: “We are delighted to have commenced construction on this site in Necton with Partner Construction. The development following a competition within our Development Team is named “Tower Mill” to associate it with the local Mill and the Village and we see this as the start of its integration within the community. The development provides essential housing to the area while respecting the beautiful rural landscape. We’re building a mix of 73 Shared Ownership and Social Rent properties to make sure that many local people and families will have access to quality affordable housing. It’s fantastic to see this development underway and are pleased to have Partner Construction working with us to share in that vision and provide a huge housing boost to the area.” The new homes are due to be completed in early 2024. You can find out more by visiting www.flagship-group.co.uk, and @_FlagshipGroup on Twitter and Instagram.
Westcountry homebuilder Cavanna Homes has officially opened the doors to its two show homes at Cavanna @ Elm Park, a new community of 245 open market and affordable homes near Exeter city centre. Cavanna Homes employees Craig Oldham, Senior Site Manager, Liana Smith, Sales Advisor and Sarah Bowden, Sales Manager marked the occasion with a ribbon-cutting at the newly launched Sales Arena. “It’s fantastic to have officially opened the new show homes at Cavanna @ Elm Park and invite prospective buyers to book an appointment to visit us. We’ve already secured ten reservations off-plan, which is brilliant and shows a real appetite for new homes in Exeter,” said Liana Smith. The two show homes; a four-bedroom Langcombe townhouse and three-bedroom detached Lakehead have master bedrooms with en-suites, modern open plan kitchen/ dining areas and spacious living rooms each showcasing the firm’s highest specification of fixtures and fittings. Cavanna @ Elm Park offers a selection of two, three and four-bedroom homes surrounded by large open green space for residents to enjoy. Homeowners can also take advantage of the 40 hectares of Riverside Valley Park, alongside the River Exe for walking, running or cycling. The new development in Exeter has been designed to promote a sense of community, improve biodiversity and encourage green travel, thanks to new cycle routes connecting to the existing network. A bus stop will also be located on the development to ensure easy access to the city centre is available to the new residents. A bespoke sensory garden is also being designed for the development to include separate seating pods, each with its own special feature such as a sculpture, scented plants, and fruit trees to create a relaxing and tranquil environment that entices all the senses. Bird and bat boxes will also be added to encourage wildlife alongside the planting of new trees. The local area has excellent primary and secondary schools, and a college, plus a fitness centre, supermarkets, retail parks and restaurants. As part of the firm’s community contributions, it will provide over £3 million in Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) to the local council and community to support roads, education, recreation and public transport.
Construction work is about to start on a new development in Ely which will deliver more than 250 new homes and a new cricket pitch and pavilion in the city. Linden Homes, part of the Vistry Group, is preparing to build 258 properties at its new Willow Woods development, off Lynn Road. The site forms part of the wider Orchards Green scheme, which is set to bring 1,200 new homes and a range of community facilities to North Ely over the coming years. Linden Homes will deliver 212 private homes and 46 affordable properties available for local people through rent or shared ownership at Willow Woods. The development will comprise a mix of one, two, three, four and five-bedroom houses and apartments. As part of the planning agreement for the development, Linden Homes will also be providing a new ECB-approved cricket pitch and pavilion. Laura Thomas, sales manager at Willow Woods, said: “We are looking forward to the first bricks being laid at our new Willow Woods development as work gets underway on bringing these much-needed new homes to the north of the city. “Our range of one to five-bedroom houses and apartments, which have been thoughtfully designed to reflect the historic nature of Ely, means there is something for housebuyers at all stages of the property ladder. “As the development forms part of the new Orchards Green scheme, residents at Willow Woods will have access to a wealth of new facilities and will benefit from a country park, trim trail facilities and an off-site cycleway.” Willow Woods is named after the timber used to make cricket bats, chosen to link with the cricket pitch and pavilion Linden Homes is also providing at the site. With work set to start imminently, the developer intends to release the first homes for sale at Willow Woods this spring. Linden Homes is currently building new homes near Ely at its Laithwaite Gardens development in Sutton. For more information, visit www.lindenhomes.co.uk/eastmidlands
Research from specialist property lending experts, Octane Capital, has revealed which areas of the British rental market are driving growth in rental stock availability, as well as the areas where tenants have seen availability decline. Despite the government’s attempts to deter buy-to-let investment, previous research by Octane Capital found that the total value of the sector has increased by £239bn since 2017, with the nation’s landlords benefitting from a strong level of capital appreciation. Octane Capital’s latest research also shows that across Britain, the level of private rental homes has actually increased by 18,610 in the last five years, suggesting an exodus of landlords has yet to materialise in the wake of legislative changes to tax relief, stamp duty and tenant fees. London is leading the private rental market charge and is not only home to the largest rental sector with over one million PRS homes, but it’s seen a 6.4% increase in stock levels in the last five years – that’s 63,000 more rental homes to meet tenant demand. In the West Midlands, PRS stock levels have climbed by 4.4%, closely followed by the East Midlands with a 3.9% jump. The South West (3.2%), Wales (2.2%) and East of England (2.1%) have also seen an increase in the number of private rental properties within the sector. But not all regions have benefited from an uplift in rental stock levels. The North West has been hit hardest by a reduction in private rental availability, currently home to 556,005 PRS homes, 34,000 less than just five years ago – a drop of -5.8%. In the South East, the level of privately rented homes has fallen by -5.2% during the same timeframe, meaning there are 36,500 fewer properties for tenants to fight it out over. Yorkshire and the Humber has also seen a notable drop at -4.6%, with Scotland (-2.9%) and the North East (-1.6%) also seeing a decline. CEO of Octane Capital, Jonathan Samuels, commented: “Much has been made about the government’s intentions to deter landlords via a string of legislative changes designed to reduce buy-to-let profitability, but as it stands, we’re yet to see any top line decline in private rental stock levels as a result of these changes. That said, some areas of the British rental market have faired far better than others and while stock levels have increased across the majority, there have also been some notable declines. The private rental market remains vital to so many across Britain and it’s crucial that the government recognises this and does its best to nurture the sector in order to encourage landlords, not deter them.” Private rental stock data sourced from Gov.uk, Gov.wales, Gov.scot and ni.gov.uk – 2015 to 2020 (latest available data).
