Eliot Kaye, Managing Director at Puma Property Finance, comments on Cushman & Wakefield’s Q1 2023 Build to Rent Report:

“The release of Cushman & Wakefield’s Q1 2023 Build to Rent (BTR) Report is further encouraging news for the Build to Rent sector, which has experienced 9.1% annual growth (excluding London), with the capital seeing 11.8% annual growth. There are a number of key drivers behind this. Many people are having to push back home ownership aspirations as a result of higher interest rates and unaffordable property prices, while students are experiencing a better standard of living whilst at university and want a similar style of living when they graduate and move to be near their place of work. As a result, we expect demand for well-located BTR developments to continue over the coming years.

“To deliver on this demand, developers, and their funders, need to ensure that the product is right for the particular micro-market, balancing the right levels of amenity provision with the need to offer competitive rents.  With the factors of affordability, amenity, community and flexibility at the front and centre of the minds of many potential tenants, we are confident that the BTR market will continue to evolve and grow to meet these needs, providing a compelling accommodation option and an attractive investment proposition.”