At Coffey Architects, we love that homes come in different shapes and sizes. You can find practically every type of home in the city, from apartments to mansions, houseboats to cottages.

UK's changing housing model

Did you know that until the 50s and 60s most people in the UK lived in rented homes? After the First World War, less than a quarter of people were owner-occupiers. Most of the rest were tenants. Wealthy owners typically had huge portfolios of properties, so the majority of people would rent from a private landlord. Government rent control legislation following the Second World War meant big changes. Many landlords began splitting up their portfolios and selling assets. Many inter-war rental blocks were also broken up. Because of the changes, the number of home owners began to rise steadily. The scales would tip in the 50s/60s when home ownership exceeded private rentals for the first time. In 2001 we hit a peak with approximately 70% of Brits owning their homes.

Renting resurgence

In fact, the emergence of property investors in the 80s and 90s was just the beginning. It would have an impact on residential architecture. Notably, the Conservative Government chose to end rental controls in 1988. As a result, landlords could charge 'market rate' for properties. Labour chose to retain this arrangement in 1997. It made it more attractive to be a landlord. Historically we hit a low of 9% of people renting their home privately. However, it has risen steadily in the last few decades. The estimate is it will reach 34% in the 2020s. A big part of this is house prices making it difficult for first time buyers. The resurgence of renting led to the creation of the build to rent sector. Here investors put their money into creating homes specifically targeting renters. There has been quite steady growth in the industry, with over 263,000 build to rent homes in the UK in Q2 2024 according to British Property Federation stats. Interestingly, there is still a lot of support for build to rent and new proposals pop up occasionally. It can offer some significant advantages, including giving people access to modern, more energy efficient homes. There tends to be better protection of rent rates. There are some drawbacks though, including difficulty creating larger BTR properties for families. Managing and maintaining the buildings is also vital to ensure long term value.