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...