Generation Rent | UK Property Investment

Millennials Loss in Home Ownership A Landlord’s Gain?

Home ownership, especially among the young, in the UK has declined significantly compared to a decade ago. As the name suggests, Generation Rent is growing, now more than ever before.

Today, 40% of young adults are unable to afford one of the cheapest homes in their area even with a 10% deposit.

For 25- to 34-year-olds earning between £22,200 and £30,600 per year, home ownership fell to just 27% in 2016 from 65% two decades ago. This is an indication of home ownership collapse over the past 20 years especially among those from the middle-income range.

Back in 2016, data by the Office for National Statistics had highlighted that the number of homeowners in the 22- to 29-year-old age group stood at 37% in 2008 compared to just 27% over the last 10 years. This drop in homeownership among young adults has several contributing factors.

The drop in homeownership among young adults. Image credit: IFS

Disparity in House Price Growth vs Income Growth

Rising house prices relative to income growth has robbed the younger generation of the ability to buy their own home, while the increase in rental rates has made it almost impossible to save for a deposit.

House prices have risen around 7 times faster compared to wages over the last two decades. New research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) reveals that since 1997, the average property price has risen by 173% in England after adjusting for inflation, and by 253% in London. Meanwhile, rental cost has risen from an average of £140 a week to £200 a week in England.

The expanding disproportion between income rate and ever-growing house prices is resulting in a severe unaffordability crisis among young adults.

Income versus house price growth Source: IFS, Image Credit: The Sun

According to a report by the Sun, back in 1995/96, 2 in 3 (65%) of 25- to 34-year-olds from the middle-income bracket were homeowners.

But by 2015/16, the number plummeted to just 27% where only 1 out 4 of this group owned their own home.

At the time, average house prices were a staggering 152% higher than they were 20 years earlier after adjusting for inflation. Meanwhile, the nett family income of those aged 25-34 increased by only 22% over the same period, causing a relentless imbalance between household incomes and house price growth.

A Preference for Experience-focused Living

Another notable factor is the youngsters’ preference for an experience-focused living.

Millennials prefer living amongst a like-minded community. For many, renting a house enables them to live close to the city centre — which also happens to be where they prefer working — and be part of a community that possesses similar lifestyle practices. This aspect seems to have taken the priority seat compared to being able to buy a house.

Purchasing a property near the city centre is close to impossible due to exorbitant prices, hence, renting becomes the next best option.

An Opportunity for Investment

This drop in home ownership and high demand for rental properties amongst the millennials signifies a huge shift for the UK’s rental and investment sector, offering opportunities for investment returns. In Manchester alone, one of the fastest-growing cities in UK, an estimated 11,000 new jobs are forecasted to increase by 2022, yet only 4,000 new properties in the city centre are expected to be built by then.

The lack of supply in residential properties alongside growing job opportunities increases the demand for rental properties which, reciprocally, opens the gateway for investment. In September 2018, the UK government and Barclays Bank announced a new £1 billion loan fund to drive construction levels in the country’s property sector, with a focus on providing greater numbers of purpose-built rental property in key markets.

The ever-growing rental market promising capital growth and rental income clearly opens an array of investment opportunities for investors looking to spend their money wisely.

By Lydia Devadas 
Edited by Vivienne Pal

https://www.ifs.org.uk/uploads/publications/bns/BN224.pdf
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/articles/homeownershipdownandrentingupforfirsttimeinacentury/2015-06-19
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-45776289
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2018/apr/17/one-in-three-uk-millennials-will-never-own-a-home-report
csiprop.com/investors-can-look-forward-to-uk-rents-increase-of-15/
https://www.thesun.co.uk/money/5590859/one-in-four-middle-earners-own-home-ifs-report/
csiprop.com/manchester-top-10-in-the-world-for-fdi/
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-housing-barclays/barclays-and-uk-government-launch-1-billion-pound-house-building-fund-idUKKCN1LR2P1
Image Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/05/01/shocking-uk-renting-facts_n_5246159.html

Apr 17 No Comments

UK’s Younger Generation Opt to Rent As Over-50s Dominate Property Market

Categories:Reading and Research

The latest data from Savills looking at UK homeownership has revealed that the amount of the nation’s property wealth held by the older generation is on the rise, while youngsters are increasingly less likely to own a home.

It looks like the odds are stacked against UK’s younger population. Many are leaning towards alternative ownership schemes, and in most cases, are opting to abandon the idea of owning a house entirely, in favor of renting.

The latest data from Savills on UK homeownership revealed that the wealth generated from the nation’s property market and held by the older generation, is on the rise. Meanwhile, what seems to be increasing for the UK’s younger generation is how unlikely they are to own property. Recent statistics from the Institute for Fiscal Studies show that the 25 – 34-year-old age group are around half as likely to own a property now than they were 20 years ago.

A whopping 75% of housing wealth in Britain is held by the over-50s, with a meagre 6% belonging to the under-35s. Zooming in on more specific age groups, the over-65s currently dominate the housing market, holding 43% of the country’s real estate wealth.

The discrepancy in equity between varying age-groups is summarised below:

The latest data from Savills looking at UK homeownership has revealed that the amount of the nation’s property wealth held by the older generation is on the rise, while youngsters are increasingly less likely to own a home.

This illustrates the thinning group of homeowners in Britain’s younger generation.

A deeper analysis reveals that homeowners have piled up equity by living longer, paying off their mortgages and watching as prices grew steadily in the final decades of the last century. While the latter has proven to greatly benefit the older generation, it has become quite the game changer for young, first-time home buyers.

First-time Home Buyers: The Discrepancy Between Average Income & Deposit

First-time home buyers are finding that complete homeownership is moving further out of reach as average annual income currently struggles to keep up with skyrocketing house prices. House prices are now 5.2 times higher than the average income, while in London, it’s a staggering 14 times higher!

In most regions, it takes the average first-time buyer about eight years to save for the deposit needed to buy a home. This rises to nine years in the southeast and 11 years in London. The typical deposit required to purchase a one-bedroom or studio apartment in London is £77,407, and £112,555 for a three-bedroom home. Meanwhile, the median income of a first-time buyer in London averages at £66,111. The stark reality is, many are unable to save such a sum and over a third reported that a proportion of their savings came from a gift or loan from family or friends.

UK’s Younger Generation Look Towards Renting and Partial Homeownership

UK’s younger population is currently looking towards alternative ownership schemes, and in most cases, opting to abandon the idea of owning a house entirely, in favor of renting.

The alternative scheme referred to is shared ownership, whereby buyers have the opportunity to purchase a percentage share of a property between 25% and 75% of the home’s full market value, paying a subsidised rent on the remaining share. Buyers can then choose to purchase additional shares as and when they can afford to, known as staircasing, allowing them to ultimately own their home outright.

Renting, on the other hand, has been gaining momentum, with a considerable number of people turning towards it by choice. A research conducted by AXA revealed that less than 50% of its research participants are renting because they cannot afford to buy their own homes. The research also revealed that many enjoy the freedom of not being tied down by a hefty mortgage!

Conclusion: Renting is the Way to Go

While UK’s older generation is predicted to continue benefiting from house price growth, the future is also welcoming a new wave of young renters. More people are choosing renting as a lifestyle option, particularly young professionals who enjoy the flexibility of renting, whilst being mortgage-free.

Jamie, a Business Manager for a Health GP Company in Northumberland, has a positive viewpoint of the evolving property market in the UK: “I have no issues with (renting). There is, to a degree, temporised value; you can often live in a nicer area, nicer street etc. for a cheaper monthly payment than a mortgage payment. Some see renting as ‘throwing money down the drain’, but I see it differently. Renting allows you to become, in some odd regard, a more static member of the travelling community,” he says.

Britain seems to be transforming into a nation of renters, which only adds to the appeal of property investment. For more information on this, click the following link: https://csiprop.com/britain-a-nation-of-renters/. If you are interested in investing in UK property, do contact us!

By Nimue Wafiya

Sources:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/young-lose-out-in-housing-wealth-boom-62fd0g789
https://www.propertywire.com/news/uk/first-time-buyers-need-save-11-years-buy-property-london/
https://www.buyassociation.co.uk/2018/04/05/young-professionals-ducking-homeownership-as-over-50s-dominate-market/
https://csiprop.com/britain-a-nation-of-renters/
https://csiprop.com/generation-rent-the-property-ladder/

CSI Prop proudly promotes international investment property with high yields at low risk. Our portfolio comprises residential and purpose-built student property in cities across the United Kingdom (London, Luton, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, York, Glasgow, Scotland; Sheffield, etc); Australia (Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane) and Thailand (Bangkok). Our projects are concentrated in high-growth areas with great educational, infrastructural and job growth potentials. We aspire to make a difference in the lives of our clients by helping them achieve their investment goals through strong market research backed by third party experts.

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Jan 24 No Comments

Generation Rent & The Property Ladder

Categories:Reading and Research

Does getting on the property ladder exist merely as an idea in the UK now, especially for young people such as the Gen-Y-ers or the Millenials? CSI Prop explores the notion of Generation Rent and how this is an opportunity for the rental market in Britain.

What most call the property “ladder” is the idea that homeowners will own different homes according to their needs during their lifetime.

A young couple early on in their careers would ideally buy a “starter home” and move on to a larger (and more expensive) property when they plan to have children. This has been possible in the past, because their household income would have increased through salary growth and career progression.

However, with wage stagnation, rising house prices and the squeeze on the cost of living today, this may be quite impossible for them, and many others like them.

The average UK house price is, at just over £200,000, almost 10 times the average wage, compared to just under four times the average wage at £31,000 in 1985. Home ownership in the UK has fallen to 63.8% (from 70.8% in 2003).

According to research by PwC, almost 60% of 20- to 39- year- olds in England will rent their homes by 2025, while just 26% will have got on the housing ladder.

Renting: the new normal?

Renting has become the new normal for millions of people in the UK. Rising house prices and a lack of new homes for first-time buyers takes home ownership out of reach of millennials, particularly in the southeast of England, where house prices have far outstripped salaries. And with the burden of debt from student loans (the an average debt is £32,220 for graduates in England), it’s easy to see why many think twice about taking on a mortgage.

A survey indicated that over three-quarters of British adults aged 18 to 30 don’t believe they will ever be able to afford to buy a home even though they have full-time jobs.

Philip, 26, from Yorkshire, said this of his experience so far: “By the time you have saved up an extra £1000 towards a deposit, the house values have gone up by £2k, £5k, £10k. It’s impossible.”

“It’s embarrassing to still live at home with your parents, even though I know increasing numbers of people in their 20s are doing so. It’s annoying that my life in that respect hasn’t turned out how it planned. I left uni at 23 telling myself that my move home would be for a few weeks at most, and I’m still there 3 years later,” he says.

Some, like Jamie, a Business Manager for a Health GP Company in Northumberland, have a slightly different view.

“I have no issues with (renting). There is, to a degree, temporised value; you can often live in a nicer area, nicer street etc. for a cheaper monthly payment than a mortgage payment. Some see renting as ‘throwing money down the drain’ but I see it differently. Renting allows you to become, in some odd regard, a more static member of the travelling community.” he says.

Other countries across the Channel don’t look as highly towards house ownership like the British. In France, just over 50% of the population live in their own properties. And in Paris, the figure is less than one in three. In Germany, house ownership is even more scarce. Only 39% of Germans own the homes that they live in, and in Berlin this figure dwindles down to just a mere 13% of the population owning their own home!

Could this be the future of house owners in the UK?

The decline of the “property ladder”, or house ownership means a large potential market for the buy-to-let investor in the UK. Even as the introduction of the stamp duty surcharge on additional property and changes to tax relief have eaten into landlords’ profits, the market continues to grow amid the high demand and low supply.

We see regional markets as the best option for investors looking to make high returns with low capital in the UK. The Government’s ongoing push for the Northern Powerhouse, which includes Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield, is a good indicator of the potential for future property price growth and solid returns.

Liverpool postcodes dominate the top 25 areas of the buy-to-let yield list, with L7 – which covers the city centre, Edge Hill, Fairfield and Kensington – taking the top position with a huge average yield of 12.63%. This is based on a median rental value of £1,224, and a median asking price of £116,259. There is high rental demand in Liverpool as the city is home to three universities as well as a growing number of young professionals.

Other top performing Liverpool postcodes are L6 in second place with a 10.57% average yield, L15 in third place with a 10.29% yield, L1 in 10th place with an 8.61% yield, and L3 in 11th place with an 8.47% yield.

Manchester also makes a couple of appearances in the top 25, with M6 – which encompasses increasingly popular Salford – in 14th position with an average yield of 8.25%. The rental market in Manchester has been growing in strength in recent years, and its four universities provide ample opportunities for landlords who are willing to invest in student accommodation. Sheffield makes the cut for the top 25 as well, with its S2 postcode at 16th place, giving an average yield of 8.07%.

The Northern Powerhouse, ie, the British government’s attempt to rebalance the UK economy by pushing development upwards into the regions to bring it on par with that of the capital and southeast, can only be a good thing.

Article by Ian Choong

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CSI Prop proudly promotes international investment property with high yields at low risk. Our portfolio comprises residential property in cities across the United Kingdom (London, Luton, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, York, Glasgow, Scotland; Sheffield, etc) and Australia (Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane). Our projects are concentrated in high-growth areas with great educational, infrastructural and job growth potentials. We aspire to make a difference in the lives of our clients by helping them achieve their investment goals through strong market research backed by third party experts.