Monday morning briefing 2025 12 22

Good morning LinkedIn, nice to see you. If you’re already on holiday, slip back to your Cornflakes and Baileys. If you’re working up to and over Christmas, have a few minutes distraction. 

-> The Bank of England lowered interest rates by a quarter point. Great news short term, but it probably means that there will be one less reduction in 2026. 

-> @Iain Murray had an excellent graphic last week showing a SWOT analysis of the operational living sector. Key points I pulled from it:

SUCCESSES:

1. BTR overall investment was up 11% YoY in the U.K., a pretty decent result given the cautious looks of apprehension from many at the start of the year

2. Single family housing accounted for almost 48% of the investment in the sector in 2025

3. Co-living and later living both achieved a widening of their footprint with circa £1bn each in investment

CHALLENGES FOR 2026

1. Admin and reporting…..in the form of Renters’ Rights, Building Safety Act and Gateway 

   1. RRB is perhaps less daunting to the institutional sector, where by service, safety and customer excellence are key. However forward payments, deposits and guarantors, rent controls and notice periods / S21 will force change and require some smart new processes

   2. The need for resolution on stairwells and planning regulations will enable the sector to free up long term investment which is delayed or challenging to sign off currently

-> Global capital continues to flow into the the U.K. sector, with roughly £125bn of property now owned by overseas entities, roughly doubling in the last decade 

-> Greystar have expanded their PBSA portfolio in Ireland with the purchase of 724 beds in Dublin and Galway reports @Joe Mellor in @PBSA News

-> @Placefirst has agreed forward-funding deals with SFH specialist @Vistry to deliver 124 homes across two sites in Oxford and Northampton

-> Platform_ has secured planning consent in Bristol for a 352 unit scheme to include 71 local housing rent homes. Designed by @Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM), the scheme is less than five minutes’ walk from Cabot Circus.

-> Proposed amendments to housing law are being rushed through the Oireachtas, raising fears of loopholes, abuse and future legal fallout reports @The Irish Examiner . 

-> Dublin City Council has given the green light to home-builder, Cairn Homes for its revised €295m/510-apartment scheme for former RTÉ lands at Montrose, Donnybrook in Dublin 4 reports @Property District

Image this week via @REM - Residential Estate Management of Chrismas!