UK: A new report has found that overall ratings for BTR properties were slightly higher in 2020 than in 2019 despite the difficulties caused by Covid-19.
The National UK Build to Rent Report from review platform HomeViews compiled the results from more than 7,000 verified private tenants in more than 130 BTR developments across 13 UK cities.
It found that the BTR sector “had responded swiftly and effectively to residents’ changing needs throughout 2020, with strong community, excellent management, considered design and facilities being key to sustaining the positive experience during the pandemic”.
As in 2019, value scores were the lowest of all the metrics ranked, “suggesting more could be done by landlords to ensure residents feel they are getting what they pay for”.
Having a gym gave the biggest boost to a development’s facilities score, with every top-10 development by facilities score including a gym. Despite lockdowns, events boosted a building’s star rating by an average of 6.7 per cent – more than any other facility – and correlated with a 10.8 per cent higher management score.
Rory Cramer, chief executive and co-founder of HomeViews, said: “We think there is a great opportunity for the wider industry to learn from these insights and improve the experience of all new-build residents in the UK.”
HomeViews was launched in February 2019 and has now published more than 22,000 resident reviews from more than 1,200 developments across 16 UK cities.
Its latest report also found that BTR developments in regional cities ranked the highest for location scores. “One key factor at play is that many of the BTR buildings in regional cities are situated in very central locations, unlike London where most of the BTR stock is in zones two to six,” added Krame
