SFH is growing rapidly. But are we missing an opportunity to create a distinctive rental offer?
Nearly six months after speaking at the Single Family Housing Conference, that question feels more relevant than ever.
The investment case is clear. More than £7bn has been invested in UK SFH since 2020 (Property Week) while investor ambitions total around 55,000 homes. Yet only 13,000 are operational.
The demand is there. Families seek rental homes with space, gardens, good schools, amenities and transport links. Despite this, purpose-designed SFH is not always the immediate choice. Conventional sale stock can be flipped as rental as housebuilders pursue alternative routes to market in the current tough conditions.
We are certain that as with multifamily BtR, SFH can be part of the mix considered even at strategic masterplanning and land promotion stages to complement and enhance the traditional model.
At HTA, we believe SFH could be more than assigning traditional stock with a different tenure label. It is an opportunity to create a product specifically for residents who choose to rent for the long term.
Good SFH should support family life and be recognisable as home, while also being resilient to climate change, adaptable and efficient to operate. It also offers a strong opportunity to build on post occupancy evaluation, using real resident experience to inform future SFH design and operation. Less constrained by traditional for sale expectations, such as on plot parking, SFH by its nature allows us to rethink the balance of private and shared space, parking and density; reduce unnecessary shared areas; provide manageable outdoor space; and create a distinctive sense of place.
Done well, purpose designed SFH can improve resident experience, support retention and create long-term value for operators, investors and communities.
What should genuinely purpose designed rental SFH look like?
