13 May 2021

London Resi Conference

Last week, Telford Homes CEO, Jon Di-Stefano, spoke at the London Resi Conference - the leading conference for the London Residential Development Market. Jon joined a panel including Philip Hillman, Chairman at Living Capital Markets, JLL and Henry Lumby, Managing Director at Amicala to discuss the growing Alternative Residential Asset Classes - including Build to Rent, Retirement Living, Student Housing and Co-Living.

The panel discussed the future opportunities for the Build to Rent market in London, as well as examining the lessons learnt throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. The panelists noted an increased demand in recent years from institutional capital to invest in alternative living sectors. Build to Rent, in particular has seen an incredible pick up in demand from the investment community, due to a growing recognition of the continued strength of the rental market in London.

The key to successfully capitalising on the Build to Rent market lies in remaining flexible in design; something further illustrated by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Purpose built residential buildings must adapt to changing tenant requirements, from providing increased space for work both within homes and amenity areas, to providing adequate access to outdoor space and communal areas. Excellent building management is also crucial, in order to deliver a combination of product and service that people really want.

ESG principles are ever more important to the investment community. Sustainable practices must be embedded not only into operations at a company level, but into the detail of every development; how they are built and how they will be used. There will no doubt be greater demand for environmentally and socially friendly products in the future, but this change is increasingly being driven by the investment community. Products that do not consider sustainability in their design and construction simply will not receive investment and will not attract future tenants. This is why ESG principles have always been, and will continue to be, a core focus for Telford Homes - acting as our licence to operate.

To learn more about the London Resi Conference, visit - https://www.londonresidevelopment.com/

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