Award-winning management company – Quintain Living – who recently revealed their new Build to Rent brand, and who oversee the rental of 2,416 Build to Rent apartments in London’s Wembley Park recently analysed the prospective and current residents’ opinions on what’s important now.

Following the analysis, Quintain Living have shared their top rental trends for 2021 and the reasons why renters should be optimistic about the coming year:

VACCINE GIVES RENTERS GREATER CONFIDENCE

As 2020 drew to a close, we started to see a rise in renter-demand following the vaccine announcement. It’s a renter’s market which means that those landlords offering the best in space, service, and amenities will be perfectly placed to capitalise on growing consumer confidence and increased demand from those tempted into rental through market uncertainty.

SPACES OUT

2020 has challenged us all, but work-from-homers are stretching their needs beyond the more obvious demand for super-fast broadband or modular, open-plan living. We’re seeing increasing demand from single occupancy residents looking to boost their space, with a notable rise in three-bedroom apartment leases amongst this group. In addition to the wealth of shared office amenities, private office/writing sheds and conference space available gives our residents an opportunity for choice, quiet, and the added benefit of never using the same Zoom background twice.

RAVING PLACES

Parties felt in short supply in 2020, with many forced to roll over special celebrations – weddings, anniversaries, birthdays – into this year. That will push demand for insta-worthy indoor, and outdoor social spaces, which are certainly attracting eyeballs online. With seven acres of green space available as well as covetable private entertaining spaces like our outdoor kitchens, clubhouse and play sheds open for private hire, we expect summer 2021 to see the return of the party and accommodation designed with that in mind, will thrive.

15-MINUTES NEIGHBOURHOODS

Lockdown living has broadened our sense of home beyond our four walls to the community beyond. Localism is a big trend and one that will continue in 2021. Wembley Park is one of London’s hottest creative neighbourhoods with a curated community of independent and artisan restaurants, retailers and recreation spaces who have nurtured communities digitally, during lockdown, helping drive positive advocacy scores amongst residents.

RENTAL RENAISSANCE

Leasing is a future-forward choice, seen by many conscious consumers to be a cool and connected way of accessing a covetable lifestyle without costing the earth. Hot on the heels of fashion and travel, renters in 2021 want more than just a great apartment – they want the added benefits renting can bring which may otherwise be inaccessible, like their own concierge, climbing walls, rooftop cinemas, private play parks and gardens, or stylish clubhouses to meet friends for coffee or cocktails. Renting provides the key to these benefits in the way that ownership doesn’t – and could be why we’re expecting demand to grow beyond traditional professional renter groups to young families and retirees.

THE FINER THINGS

People’s expectations for service and support have been accelerated. We expect that the growing band of Build-to-Rent residents who have benefitted from a concierge-led living will find it hard to return to life without it. And why should they? As students graduate and move away from their onsite ‘everything’s done for them’ facilities and time-poor young professionals just want to move in without hassle and time delays in getting essential services sorted. There seems a much greater expectation from renters to have everything ‘ready to go’ in the apartments they choose to live in. This applies to all ages – from 20-something flat sharers and young families to more mature residents who instantly want to access the benefit of connected urban living.

DOG DAYS ARE OVER

2020 saw a boom in lockdown-pet demand with Google reporting record number of pet-related searches. As office workers slowly gear up to blended home/office working, we predict more enquiries from people who want access to parks and trails, as well as ancillary pet-friendly services like doggy day-care and grooming. In response to the demand, Quintain Living has ensured all of its buildings are pet-friendly and is pioneering new amenities to be top dog for pets in 2021. 

GREEN FINGERS

Searches for outdoor space sky-rocketed last year, and 20m novice gardeners took to their plots, but waiting lists for allotments can run to seven years in London. 2021 will be a year of growth and reconnection with nature so that renters will seek more than balcony gardening. Quintain Living has responded to this and offers not just allotments but a fully-equipped potting shed and greenhouse to help residents grow with the flow.

MIND, BODY AND WORLD

Long after the physical effects of Covid-19 have left us, mental health will be its defining legacy. Carefully curated spaces with attention to multi-sensorial design and a strong sense of community will top renters’ wishlists. Homes that offer head space – whether that’s to relax, recharge or reconnect with what’s really important, will be highly covetable. Our modular design thinking enables residents to quickly turn a roof terrace into a yoga studio or a party place, as needed, but we’re also proudly building communities of support.

POSTCARDS TO BE PROUD OF

HA9 is a postcode that style-shapers are already starting to talk about. Nestled at the heart of Brent, London’s Borough of Culture 2020, one thing we can be sure of – it’s a community of bright sparks with a positive future.

“Despite the uncertainty of 2020, the UK rental market is resilient. With more time spent at home than ever before, renters are rightly becoming more discerning and not prepared to compromise. This consumer-led demand, fuelled by a lot of uncertainty in the world, will lead more people who have not considered renting before, to do so, and it will be those landlords that champion truly meaningful innovation, that will thrive.”

Sarah Tinsley, Marketing Director, Quintain Living

If you would like to find out more about AGC’s innovative Build-to-Rent offering, view our new brochure here.  

To get in touch directly with our BTR team, contact them on:

BTR@agofc.com

 +44 (0)20 3651 3325