Mind the (rental) gaps.

We know there is a gap in the rental market – a void that needs filling by more quality homes for private rent – but there’s an impending gap in the skills market too. With thousands of privately rented units being constructed across the country under the Build to Rent initiative, the demand for professional property management is only going to increase.

Built to Rent takes lettings from a private landlord-dominated sector to an institutional grade investment business. There will be an increasing need for volume management, stakeholder-focused reporting, transparency, profit management and asset protection as charities, REITs, pension funds and investment vehicles pile into this emerging market.

Earlier in 2016, Transport for London confirmed serious intentions to enter Build to Rent, allocating some of its 5,700 acres of land for development. The organisation is in dialogue with property firms such as Berkeley Group and Peabody Trust to strike up development deals for the first 300 acres of land.

It is anticipated Transport for London’s first three sites will create 600 new homes in London – that’s 600 units flooding the private rental market requiring professional management, especially since the estimated £100 million revenue raised is earmarked for reinvestment back into the public transport network. That makes us all stakeholders with a vested interest is successful management and asset protection, right? Who within Transport for London has the knowledge, time or ability to manage six rental units in a legally complaint way, never mind 600? That’s 600 units from a single wave of development from just one organisation. Multiply this and we are facing a property management crisis.

If Transport for London is cashing in, who will join them? A report issued last summer by the Centre for Theology & Community together with Housing Justice suggested the Church of England use some of its £2 billion land estate to address the housing crisis – of which there are 100,000 acres in England and Wales. I can guess there are already plans underway for Build to Rent activity but bishops fixing broken boilers? It’s never going to happen.

Build to Rent is ushering in a new era for the PRS. There are already solutions to the property management conundrum – exploring the services out there is the next step.

* Simon Duce is managing director of the ARPM Group, who provides national outsourced lettings, property management and relocation services for funds, REITs, organisations, letting agents and property managers.

ARPM

Simon Duce is the Founder and Managing Director of ARPM Outsourced Lettings Support - a business designed to help small and start-up letting agents/property managers offer a full suite of property management and tenancy administration services through outsourcing.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Forget kerb appeal: LRG report reveals what really triggers a homebuyer’s offer

One of the UK’s largest property services groups has published its debut sales report, uncovering what genuinely persuades buyers to make an offer – and the findings challenge the traditional focus on kerb appeal. While sellers often guess which improvements will pay off, the data shows where money is well spent and where it’s wasted.…
Read More
Breaking News

Prime London’s love affair with period homes continues

One in four listings are historic properties The latest research from Jefferies London shows that nearly a quarter of homes listed for sale across prime central London (23.3%) offer high-end homebuyers the chance to secure a period property, with demand for prime period properties at its highest in Maida Vale. Jefferies London analysed current for…
Read More
Breaking News

Industry Response to latest Nationwide House Price Index

Nationwide House Price Index for October 2025, with the latest figures showing no Halloween haunting for homebuyers where house price growth is concerned – despite widespread talks of Autumn Budget uncertainty hitting the market. The latest index shows that: – House prices increased by 0.3% between September and October of this year. On an annual…
Read More
Breaking News

The capital’s most haunted property hotspots for Halloween homebuyers

The latest analysis by Foxtons has revealed which of the capital’s spookiest postcodes command the largest house price premiums, as the average cost of purchasing a property in one of London’s most haunted neighbourhoods comes in 48% more than the wider London average. Foxtons analysed the property market across 14 of London’s most haunted locations,…
Read More
Breaking News

Annual house price growth edges higher in October

Slight increase in annual house price growth to 2.4% House prices were up 0.3% month on month Kitchen and bathroom renovations most popular amongst homeowners in last five years Analysis based on Nationwide’s HPI data shows extensions or loft conversions with a bedroom can increase house value by up to 24% Headlines Oct-25 Sep-25 Monthly…
Read More
Breaking News

How much will a Halloween Castle set you back

The latest research from Enness Global has revealed that, for those looking to follow in the footsteps of Count Dracula this Halloween, the average castle on the UK market will set buyers back around £2.2 million, requiring a deposit of £332,609 and a monthly mortgage repayment of more than £10,000. Enness Global analysed current castle…
Read More