Health and Safety in Rented Accommodation
Residential Property Letting - How Much Does It Cost the Tenant?
Getting on the Property Ladder
Residential Rental Price Indexes
Quality Of Rental Accommodation In The UK Is Falling
Renting Flats in London - Finding and Renting a Flat in the City
Quality Of Rental Accommodation In The UK Is Falling
By Gordon Marchant
In the article "European rental trends" published by Simple2rent it shows how there has been an overall reduction in rental properties during the last 20 (or so) years. However it was also identified that whilst there was a significant reduction, the number of homes in the UK private rental sector had actually increased. So why would there be a reduction in the quality of accommodation?
To try and throw some light answer this question there has been some interesting research identifying the type of accommodation available. Firstly some research on the type of dwelling within the private rental sector and the social rental sector:
- Detached housing - 2% in the social sector, 10% in the private sector
- Semi-detached housing - 27% social sector, 19% private sector
- Terrace housing - 29% social, 29% private
- Flats / apartments - 41% social, 37% private
Looking at this data it would suggest that the social sector provides a higher proportion of smaller properties to rent. However within the private sector there are some other interesting factors such as a higher percentage of flats (or apartments) that are in fact conversions from larger properties and not purpose built. Specific data found on this was:
- Social sector - 12% of flats are conversions
- Private sector - 51% of flats are conversions
The key factor here is the quality of flats from property conversions, unfortunately very little data is available on this although there is some interesting research on the percentage of properties that have central heating installed which could be a good indicator as to the investment in updating rental sector properties. Research data found on central heating installed within homes identified:
- All rooms with heating - private sector 77%, social sector 86%
- Some rooms with heating - private sector 6%, social sector 6%
- No rooms with heating - private sector 17%, social sector 8%
In summary the overall percentage of homes in the rental sector is falling but at the same time the number or properties within the private sector is increasing. Add this fact to the private sector's higher percentage of converted flats and the significantly higher percentage of homes without central heating what could be concluded? One possibility is that greater investment and focus is required to maintain quality of accommodation in the private sector as it expands.
Simple2rent Properties ( http://www.simple2rent.co.uk ) provides a free service to landlords and tenants for properties to let in London and throughout the UK. Simple2rent Properties also publishes original articles on the UK property market.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gordon_Marchant
http://EzineArticles.com/?Quality-Of-Rental-Accommodation-In-The-UK-Is-Falling&id=367217
