Yardi and Property Week recently invited experts from across the build-to-rent sector to take part in a digital debate on the key issues facing the market in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The consensus was that despite the challenges posed by the outbreak, there is also an opportunity for BTR to move forward and evolve Michela Hancock Managing director, Greystar Europe Justin Harley Regional director, Yardi Systems Hannah Marsh Co-founder & marketing director, HomeViews Sanjeev Patel Managing director, PPP Capital Kevin Watson Operations and commercial director, Platform Simon Creasey Contributing editor (features), Property Week (chair) Earlier this month, in the latest in the Yardi Think Tank series, Property Week contributing editor Simon Creasey chaired a discussion with key figures in the UK build-to-rent sector on how Covid-19 has affected BTR and the factors driving innovation for investors and residents. Also up for debate was how the pandemic might affect future BTR development. Simon Creasey: What impact has the Covid-19 lockdown had on your operations so far? Kevin Watson: The main impact has been on amenities spaces, which obviously have been closed now for a significant amount of time, and that’s clearly a key part of the value proposition of BTR. On the operations side, the thing that’s been really good to see is the transition to virtual and video viewings and other tools that enable engagement with residents. I think we’ve all been pleasantly surprised at how a lot of people both from the operator side and also from the resident’s side have taken to that. We still have some way to go to make those virtual viewings as interactive and as effective as a face-to-face viewing, but it’s been great to see that come through. Michela Hancock: We’re all kind of dealing...
Movers and Shakers
Build to Rent Forum Recap
Movers & Shakers hosted another impactful Build to Rent Forum on Thursday, Feb. 27, where eager build to rent professionals gathered to debate a range of topics impacting this ever-growing market. Movers & Shakers Chairman David Jennings opened the day with an inspiring video of Greystar’s 2,000-home Greenford Quay development, showcasing a great example of the high standard of homes the industry has to offer. Adam Challis, Executive Director, EMEA Living Research & Strategy at JLL, reaffirmed the previously controversial notion that home ownership isn’t all that matters. As an industry, real estate should be focused on product quality and geographical diversity. Challis tapped into the importance of sustainability and thought provokingly asked which company in the market would be the first to achieve zero carbon emissions whilst being able to offer affordable rental prices. Later in the day, Rebecca Taylor of Long Harbour agreed with the sentiment and stated that as well as operating buildings more efficiently, sustainability must also be entrenched in construction and waste management. News from the Frontline The passion and enthusiasm to see more collaboration in the market was apparent, especially when it comes to data sharing. Michela Hancock, Managing Director, Development & Construction, Greystar Europe, shared some interesting demographic data from Greystar’s Salemakers development. Hancock explained how Salemakers is occupied by 50% students, a figure much higher than expected, that the average age of build to rent residents is 29, and that 48% of residents are male. Ian Gibbs, Director of Neighbourhoods, Get Living, delved into behavioural data sharing that 20% of the East Village population transfer internally when relocating because they know the Get Living brand. Gibbs also stated that 50% of people who have lived in a tall, residential tower building, are more likely to rent...
Build to Rent Update
Yardi UK Think Tank
Yardi UK invited a team of northern property experts to The Slate Yard, a build-to-rent (BTR) development in Salford managed by urbanbubble, to discuss how the relatively nascent sector is evolving in the north of England and to explore the main obstacles that stand in the way of BTR’s future growth in the region. Participating in the discussion were: Michael Howard (MH), managing director, urbanbubble Matt Crompton (MC), joint managing director, Muse Developments Adam Higgins (AH), founder, Capital & Centric Shelagh McNerney (SM), head of development, Salford City Council Gavin Taylor (GT), regional general manager, Far East Consortium Simon Creasey, consulting editor (features), Property Week (chair) Where have we seen significant levels of BTR development take place in the north to date and why? MC: Manchester is streets ahead of other cities at the moment. I guess it comes down to the rental levels that you need to derive from occupiers and the void levels you can accommodate, which filters through the financial model to result in whether something is developable or not. The dynamics in Manchester work because you can see lots of activity happening here, but you don’t see as much activity happening in other strong northern cities – Liverpool, Leeds and the like. The same dynamic must exist in those cities in terms of agile workers that want to live there and have the flexibility of the BTR offer, but rents need to get to a level where developments become viable. SM: You can’t separate what’s going on in the housing market [in Greater Manchester] at the moment from all those large new employers coming into the city and I think that’s what distinguishes the area. While those other northern cities have got great assets and things to offer, it’s just the sheer...
Build to Rent
Yardi UK Think Tank
Just a few years ago build-to-rent (BTR) was a rarely used phrase in the UK. Now it is one of the hottest real estate sectors around. A think tank of leading experts convened by Yardi and Property Week discuss the extent to which BTR has matured, the challenges it still faces and where the sector will go from here. The Think Tank Panelists: Andrew Cook – investment manager, M&G Real Estate (AC) Lora Salomidou – product owner, The Collective (LS) Rebecca Taylor – investment director, Long Harbour (RT) Katherine Rose – director of data & advisory services, Prsim (KR) John Dunkerley – chief executive and co-founder, Apache Capital (JD) Russell Markou – head of PRS operations,Tipi (RM) James Pargeter – projects director, Greystar Europe (JP) Chair: David Parsley – contributing editor, Property Week (DP) DP: How far along is BTR to becoming a mature market and is it now considered an institutional-grade investment? JD: There’s a big difference in people’s perception of where they think it is and where it actually is. There are 110,000 BTR units under construction or in planning. I don’t think we’re really scratching the surface yet. I don’t think it’s as advanced as people think it is. LS: The Collective has come from a slightly different angle to BTR and is focusing more on the consumer. The main reason we have got to where we are with BTR is because there has been a fundamental change in the expectations of consumers. The investors’ point of view is slightly different, but if we compare the return on investment from BTR to build-to-sell it is very different, because investors don’t have to manage the property – companies like us do it. JP: It’s certainly not yet mature in terms of finished...
UK Perspective
Better build-to-rent marketing
The UK’s build-to-rent sector is booming. In less than a decade, the sector has grown by around 60% and is now worth some £1.5trn. This comes as no surprise. We all have, at some point in our lives, been looking for a place to live, whether it is a house or a flat, and build-to-rent is an alleviation in the midst of the UK’s housing crisis. The internet has made home searching extremely easy and the advent of the so-called ‘generation rent’ has seen millions of people turning to renting as their model of choice. The old days of pen and paper, endless phone calls and long rides in your car to view properties are long gone and the search is now almost entirely conducted on the web. Just as shopping no longer means showing up in a store, home searching has become essentially digital. But even so, the process might be extremely slow. Imagine you are on your lunch break, looking for an apartment on your laptop or smartphone. You are clicking on dozens of different sites, scrolling through pages and pages of dubious websites. Maybe the information provided on the website is incomplete. It lacks floorplans and energy ratings. There are no reviews or pictures. How can you trust this website instead of another one? Is the apartment going to be as good as it is presented? Are you just going to waste your time? Hunting for an apartment can be a very frustrating experience indeed. Turning to the other side, and looking at the situation from a landlord’s perspective, it is increasingly hard to catch a home-hunter’s attention. Due to the same chaotic web scenario, this challenge is now tougher than ever. How can a landlord make a prospective resident discover...
Scotland Build to Rent Market
Yardi Think Tank Update
The rise of the build-to-rent sector is changing the way we live – but gaining support from local authorities is critical to its success. Now firmly established in London, Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds, the market is also taking off in Scotland – but how is this market different, and what are the challenges for investors and developers? Yardi brought together a panel of industry thought leaders to discuss the main issues. Iain Murray, managing director, LIV Consult Dan Cookson, digital innovation consultant, Homes for Scotland Christa Reekie, commercial director, Scottish Futures Trust Rick de Blaby, deputy executive chairman, Get Living London Peter Carus, associate, GVA Claer Barrett, Financial Times (chair) CB: How does the Scottish build-to-rent market differ from England’s? IM: Looking at demographics, earnings and the overall rental market, Scotland is not that different from Leeds, Manchester or other big English cities outside London. Lots and lots of people rent. The difference is that Scotland, at the moment, is behind the curve. The Independence Referendum [in 2014] created a great deal of uncertainty, which held the market back. Talk of a second referendum had the same effect. If that were to start up again, investors would begin to get nervous. For now, investors seem to have got over Brexit and the ‘indyref’ – their money has to be put somewhere. PC: The key difference is that build-to-rent is taking its time to get going in Scotland. At a national level, there’s clearly been a big push. Now that’s beginning to come down to local government level and the planning authorities are supportive of new build-to-rent projects. RdB: The further you get from London and the South East, the more open for business local authorities are. The planners in Glasgow have been very receptive, and the new planning advice note that has recently come from the Scottish government is very useful too. IM: It does help that Scotland has a majority government too. CB: How are Scottish leases different – is this a problem for investors? RdB: The Scottish residential lease is distinctly different. When a tenant leases an apartment, effectively they have indefinite security of tenure. That might put some investors off; it certainty doesn’t put Get Living off as our model seeks to accommodate longer resident commitments anyway. IM: As a build-to-rent management company, our clients want people to stay for as long as possible. Turnover in tenancies costs money. CR: The Scottish system creates a lot of certainty for tenants that simply doesn’t exist in England. IM: Scottish leases are something that will put investors off if they don’t do proper research. Some build-to-rent investors will have an endgame of eventually selling the flats they develop. And they still can. There are extensive grounds for ending a lease and evicting the tenant; reasons include that you are selling the property, it is being refurbished, they have broken the tenancy agreement, they are being anti-social. As a build-to-rent management company, we are quite keen on this legislation as it gives me additional security. But from a conceptual point of view, investors outside Scotland may find it difficult – anything different from the norm, and some investors will think it’s easier to put my money in Manchester or Birmingham. CB: How have you changed your business model for the Scottish market? RdB: There are three, possibly four, cities in Scotland where build-to-rent could work. We have bought a 7.5-acre site to the east of the Merchant City in Glasgow, and we’re about to submit a planning application for 727 private rental with 99 student units. Our model is all about scale – we don’t do under 500 units. It is tempting to take what works in London and replicate it. But our focus groups in Glasgow have provided some valuable insights. For example, renters up here in Scotland don’t do as much apartment sharing as those in...
Build to Rent
Responding to Proptech
LONDON – Technology has changed all our lives so fundamentally in recent years that it is sometimes difficult to look back to an era when things were done differently. Today’s normality was, just a short time ago, unthinkable. Banking is a good example. Today, we take it for granted that we can access our accounts at any time and transfer money and pay bills quickly and cheaply. The chequebook is still available for those who need it, but it won’t be long before they too are consigned to history. Then take taxis. While in London at least, using a cab was once the preserve of those with substantial salaries – or travelling at somebody else’s expense – now the rise of Uber and others means that getting a ride home is a real option for many people. Property has, of course, been slow to embrace the benefits that digital technology can bring – one estimate is that the industry is around 20 years behind financial services – but that is starting to change and at pace. Just a few years ago, if the property press mentioned technology at all, it was to reference the influence of the likes of Rightmove or Zoopla. Today the phenomenon has its own name: proptech. A lot of attention has been paid to how proptech is disrupting the industry, most notably through big data potentially making the role played by many agents redundant. That is obviously a cause for concern and the introduction of new ways of working will obviously have to be done with care and compassion. But proptech also has the potential to bring huge benefits to both property companies and their consumers – and without the need for anyone to lose their jobs. In no sector...
Build-to-Rent
UK Real Estate Evolves
GREAT BRITAIN (March, 2017) – It is no longer about landlords; today’s property managers recognise that happy residents are at the heart of any successful scheme. Yardi invited a panel of experts in Leeds – a ‘northern powerhouse’ city heavily invested in cutting edge build-to-rent development – to discuss the rapidly-evolving sector Graham Bates – Founder and chief executive – LIV Group Jonathan Pitt – National director, corporate PRS and build-to-rent, Countrywide Joanne Pollard – Director – Five Nine Living, Fresh Student Living Andrew Wells – Partner and non-executive chairman – Allsop Letting & Management (Interviewer) Claer Barrett – Personal finance editor – Financial Times (chair) What is the biggest challenge for the build-to-rent sector? Joanne: There are three main challenges. Firstly, there’s not enough stock. Everyone wants to pile in from an investment perspective – and if you want to buy assets producing rents, that’s a challenge. Secondly, we’re all learning about this together. There are new practices and we need to find the best ones. And finally, costs. How much of a premium are people prepared to pay? Jonathan: I agree – the big challenge is where the private rented sector (PRS) sits in the market. What is the premium people will pay to live in a well-run building with amenities? And what about mid-market level? Graham: PRS is not the right label. What we do is build-to-rent. The private rented sector as a whole includes buy-to-let. We are a segment of PRS but what makes us different is that we are building for long-term rental. We are starting to see what I call ‘live learning’. As this sector started to take off, people talked about what might happen. Now we’ve got people living in buildings. We have data. We can conduct...
