Monday morning briefing, 2026 01 12
- hammondjon
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Good morning LinkedIn, it’s been a couple of weeks, and the world is still turning, but is the property sector? Let’s have a catch up:
-> The House and Home section of the FT this weekend carried a really fascinating piece ‘Is this build to rent’s moment to shine?’ with Way of Life and Folk Co-living amongst others getting a bit of a love letter and some rather beautiful soft light photography. Naturally, there is a cautionary note. Link in the comments.
-> Perhaps more oddly, is news that Mike Ashley, the billionaire retail entrepreneur has bought a 3% stake in Grainger plc, through a spread betting firm reports BTR News
-> A lot has been said over the end of 2025 about the Government’s 1.5mn new build target. Worryingly planning applications in 2025 were the lowest since comparable records began (in England). Perhaps even more worryingly, from around 2015, nearly 2.7 million new homes received permission, yet only about 1.5 million were built, creating a substantial gap.
-> Dandara has completed a portfolio deal with Vivid Living to deliver 72 affordable homes across three developments in Hampshire and West Sussex reports BE News
-> Urban Living News reports that Investment manager Venn has made two new loans totalling £182 million under the Private Rented Sector Guarantee Scheme (PRSGS), which Venn manages on behalf of the UK Government.
-> More than £7bn of residential-led regeneration is advancing across hashtag#Liverpool in 2026, reshaping the waterfront, city centre and town centres, with several major schemes set to progress.
-> The Housed Podcast team kicked off 2026 with a review of their 2025 predictions, and a look forward to 2026 (and beyond) in the PBSA and student sector. The challenge appears to have been the a levels of pricing ambition in the last decade is now biting. Combined with a perhaps imperfect storm of U.K. students choosing to commute or live in cheaper options (including BTR……spot an issue?), the Brexit downturn of European students and a reliance on new markets keeping the international numbers buoyant, but from a poor geographical sector, and not necessarily able to afford the higher amenity, luxury living end of the sector. Voids, discounts and a reconsideration of pricing and focus need to follow.
-> In Ireland, which perhaps has an even weirder planning system and way of objecting than most of the U.K., Property District reports that a Limerick golf club objects to proposed housing development citing a ‘stray balls’ risk to residents. The 114 unit development under appeal.
-> Clyde Real Estate, the commercial property firm, is looking to diversify into residential development and is currently in negotiations for three sites within easy commuting distances of Dublin and Cork cities reports Business Post
Way of Life’s The Eades which is rated a whopping 5 out of 5 on HomeViews (I think the only WoL site I have not visited - and invites are always welcome!) Sunday Mills has a normally brilliant 4.7 rating.
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