In the UK we have a site called Gumtree, it's a lot like CraigsList...an online classifieds site with ads from dating to house sales. Gumtree recently published a report examining today’s British rental market. The findings were very interesting and I'd be interested to hear if you think there are similarities with your markets.
According to the study, half of Brits (51%) believe the national obsession with getting on the property ladder is old fashioned and needs to change. Over two thirds of 25-44 year-old renters (71%) are not planning to take a mortgage at all and will invest their money in other ways, and three-quarters of Brits (76%) wouldn’t buy property now even if they had the cash burning a hole in their pocket. Four in five renters (81%) can’t currently afford to buy, but they are content and want to continue renting for the foreseeable future.
The study also examined a year’s worth of historical data for London and five other large UK cities and found a shift towards a more ‘European attitude’ to renting, which is good news for landlords. In cities such as London, Edinburgh and Bristol the study found rental revenue increase by up to 7.8%. These findings reflect the opinion of over a third (35%) of landlords questioned who are optimistic about the rental market and believe their property will make them more money before the end of the year.
Renters looking for affordable properties should head to Manchester and Birmingham where urban development has contributed to a drop of up to 3.5%, as supply of outstrips demand. Gumtree’s Rental Index further reveals letting markets in Leeds, Bristol and Edinburgh to be slightly more neutral, with rents rising modestly or remaining static, yet to feel significant effects from the current property fall-out.
Property expert Michael Holmes had this to say…
“Until now renting has always been a bit of a dirty word in the UK. The importance of owning a house is deeply engrained in the British psyche and it’s our equivalent of the American dream. But in the new economic climate we’re seeing a real shift in attitudes towards a more continental approach to property, with renting becoming increasingly popular.”
Is it time to get rid of the stigma of being a renter? No matter where we are in the world?
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