At Coffey Architects, we love that homes come in different shapes and sizes. If you look at residential architecture in London for example, you can see how diverse housing is. You can find practically every type of home in the city, from apartments to mansions, houseboats to cottages. We’d love to help clients looking to create them or make changes to improve their properties.
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
This wasn’t the end of the story though. In fact, the emergence of property investors in the 80s and 90s was just the beginning. It would have an impact on residential architecture in London and other parts of the UK. 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.
Talk to us about residential architecture in London?
Coffey Architects supports clients with all kinds of different projects. We can help design almost any kind of home and housing. This can include blocks as well as large and small developments. If you are planning an investment and want to get the most from it, you can rely on us.
So, get in touch today and let us see what you have in mind for residential architecture in London. We can work with you to create beautiful, sustainable homes.