Number of new homes being built in key sector ‘in decline'
This takes the total number for build-to-rent homes under construction down to 2,101 from the prior year's figure of 2,472 homes.
However, there was a 16 per cent increase of new developments being finished in the second quarter of 2025 compared to 2024.
READ MORE:
The SPF said that 'while this is a welcome increase, this further highlights the real challenge the Scottish sector continues to face is one of pipeline exhaustion'.
The SPF in its submission to the Housing (Scotland) Bill consultation on how powers within the Bill could be used to exempt certain types of properties from rent control, is urging that the built-to-rent sector be issued with blanket exemption.
David Melhuish, director of the Scottish Property Federation, said: "The continued decline in the number of BtR schemes starting on site, reflect that persistent policy uncertainty, especially around rent controls, continues to have a damaging impact upon investor confidence in Scottish BtR.
"On this trajectory Scotland will soon exhaust the pipeline of new BtR developments, as completions continue to exceed commencements.
"To restore investor confidence and to kick start new supply of rental homes, we are calling as part of our response to the Scottish Government's recent housing consultation, for built to rent/mid-market rent to be granted an exemption from rent controls across Scotland."
Barbara Welsh, chair of Living Rent, the tenants' union said that "building expensive build-to-rent properties will not solve the housing crisis", adding: "These properties are completely beyond the reach of most tenants.
"Building more build-to-rent properties will do nothing for tenants unable to pay their rent, the thousands stuck in temporary accommodation or those left waiting on social housing waiting lists.
"Build-to-rent developers are not struggling. As they point out, there has been a boom in build-to-rent in recent years and the Housing Bill already allows for landlords to make above inflation profits year on year."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
28 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Rate fillip for dismal housing: Reeves must ring the changes to get Britain building, says ALEX BRUMMER
During the run-up to the July 2024 election, economic journalists were invited along for an informal chat with the future Chancellor Rachel Reeves. She argued that growth would be a priority for a Labour government and a key part of the programme would be to get Britain building again. The UK has been poor at delivering infrastructure and in the past housing targets have been hard to meet. Tearing up planning rules was always going to be difficult because of Britain's long history of Nimbyism. More than a year into power, and with reforms to planning rules falling into place, brisk progress was to be expected. But the S&P report from UK construction managers for July doesn't offer optimism. It shows the steepest fall in activity since May 2020. The biggest drop came from residential, putting the Government's target of building 1.5m homes in this Parliament in jeopardy. Construction firms cited site delays, fewer new orders and weak consumer confidence as factors. We shouldn't be surprised. Interest rates have proved sticky despite four decreases since Labour took office. The Bank of England is expected to offer a quarter of a percentage point reduction to 4 per cent today. Bad tax policy has played a part. Employment costs are up because of the employers' National Insurance Contributions rise. And the abolition of tax relief on stamp duty at the bottom rung of the ladder makes the aspiration to be part of a property-owning democracy harder. To add to the woes of those seeking a construction revolution, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has joined the Nimbys – he objects to Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner giving permission to four councils to build over allotments. That's bad for working people, for homegrown produce and the nation's health. Another unforced error. America first The fascinating aspect of commodity trader and miner Glencore's decision to stick with a London listing is its reasoning. Moving to New York, the favoured option, involved 'significant costs'. Its chief executive Gary Nagle might also have pointed out that, with some rare exceptions such as smart chip maker Arm and building group CRH, American investors have not greeted the British arrivals with hosannas. Nagle also rued the fact that there was no certainty that £36billion Glencore would be granted entry to the S&P 500 because of coolness to foreigners. The loss of Glencore would have been serious for London, with its strong history of hosting natural resources companies. BHP retreated to Sydney and if activists had their way Rio Tinto might have done the same. Glencore would have been a less significant departure than AstraZeneca or Shell, both of which have flirted with the idea. Not all is green on the other side of the Atlantic, where AstraZeneca is vowing to invest £37billion. Overnight, the US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr halted production of mRNA vaccines on a whim. Indeed, Astra's first-to-market Covid jab was slow to be approved in the US, where 'America first' vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna were preferred. It is not just US President Donald Trump and the Republicans who willingly bash overseas investors. President Barack Obama humiliated oil giant BP over the Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 – leading to tens of billions of pounds of losses for UK investors. Glencore's vote of confidence in Britain might be seen by cynics as a distraction from a disappointing performance in the first half. The miner is responding with a pledge to cut $1billion in costs. Never underestimate the odds of it roaring back on robust trading operations. Oven ready It was predictable that supermarket Morrisons would have to jettison assets to pay down the debt it acquired when it fell under the private ownership of Clayton, Dubilier & Rice in 2023. That is unlikely to be enough in a highly competitive grocery market. Prices are generally higher than at rivals and it may require a fresh look at costly specialist counters and whether the vertical model, from farm to customer, is sustainable. That would be a pity.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
This isn't a case of 'WILL they get it right'? This is a case of 'WHEN they get it right'... GRAEME SOUNESS is backing the new revolution at Rangers
Almost 40 years after being at the vanguard of one revolution at Ibrox, Graeme Souness is now content to be bear witness to another. In the past three months, Rangers have moved into new ownership, with their American custodians quickly identifying Russell Martin as the man to instigate a change of fortunes on the park. While the new manager's nine recruits to date have been much lower profile than the cast of international A-listers assembled by Souness, the wind of change throughout the club feels reminiscent of that which blew in during the summer of 1986. When Souness arrived from Sampdoria as player-manager, the club had long become strangers to the winner's podium. With just one league title in the past 14 years, Martin has also arrived on the scene at a point when losing has become the norm. While 72-year-old Souness purposefully stops short of predicting that the latest incumbent can follow his lead by winning the Premiership at the first time of asking, his instinct tells him that something special is brewing again at his old stomping ground. 'I think the new guys (in charge) have started well,' said Souness of the consortium which includes 49ers Enterprises. 'The noises that have come out sound very professional and it's as if they know what they're doing. Former Rangers manager Graeme Souness is thrilled with the positive signs under new regime 'This is not a case of 'Will they get it right?' This is a case of 'When they get it right'. 'This is not their first dip into soccer. Like in any new business, they will have made some mistakes down in England with Leeds United. 'I expect them to hit the ground running to a certain point. From what I'm hearing from within the club, and how it comes out publicly, I'm very much encouraged. 'It would appear, from the outside looking in, it's settled down. People know what roles they've got within the organisation. And I think there's a clear path that's being led from the top. I think everyone now knows their job and they can get on with it.' His heart tells him that Martin's newly moulded side can come up trumps at the first time of asking. His head tells him that's still a very tall order, 'I think it's a bit like dealing with a politician, asking Rachel Reeves or Keir Starmer when they're going to get it right,' he added. 'In football terms, it's the same. I think you're putting unnecessary pressure on yourself. The US-led revolution at Rangers has been warmly welcomed after years in the doldrums 'I'm a Rangers supporter and, like every other Rangers supporter, I hope it's sooner rather than later. I hope it's this year. The minute you try to attach logic to football, you'll come unstuck.' Souness is sure about one thing, though. When asked if he agreed with former director Paul Murray's view that this felt like the biggest moment for the club since he walked in the door, he fully concurred. 'Yes, 100 per cent,' he replied. 'These people understand soccer. Do they fully understand what Glasgow Rangers is about? I'm sure they have realised that this is a unique football club and a unique football experience. It's a very special football club. And working in the west of Scotland is quite unique, trust me.' Martin will feel more comfortable today than he did on Saturday evening. On the back of a feeble display at Motherwell, the 39-year-old publicly flayed the majority of his players for going through the motions throughout an opening-day draw. Anyone who was in any doubt as to who he felt was responsible was enlightened when the team-sheet for Tuesday's match with Viktoria Plzen dropped. James Tavernier, Nico Raskin, Danilo and Kieran Dowell were nowhere to be seen. 'He went early, but that's his style,' Souness said. 'You'd have to say that he's put his foot down pretty quickly. And I don't see that as a bad thing. 'I think you're putting a marker down that: 'I have my standards and you're going to have to come up to my standards to be a regular member or a starter in this team'. 'It's not about him dropping his standards to accommodate players.' This view is offered with the benefit of considerable experience. 'I expected the senior players to be the standard-bearers,' reflected Souness. 'They were the ones that had to set the standards within the dressing room. And that's how it should be. 'I'm a great believer that you don't have a successful football club unless you have good senior pros. And maybe he's expecting a bit more from some of the senior pros than he got at the weekend. 'I've been talking about Jock Stein a lot recently. I always felt Jock was harder on Kenny Dalglish and me with the Scottish team. 'I was frightened of him, although I'm not sure Kenny was! But the message was: 'If I can do that to them, you make sure you're on it'. 'Some people need a lot more love than others. I was lucky I didn't need any love.' Souness was present on Tuesday as the tough love imparted by Martin did the trick. A three-goal win against Viktoria Plzen planted one foot in the play-off round. Barring a disaster in the second leg, Rangers will face either Club Brugge or Salzburg for a place in the Champions League proper. Despite the last trip to the promised land under Giovanni van Bronckhorst being the most chastening experience imaginable, Souness refutes the suggestion that his old club would be better off in the Europa League. 'I was at the Liverpool game (a 7-1 loss) and it was a sore one,' he recalled. 'That night, Rangers just didn't believe they could get a result against them. They got rolled over far too easily. 'But you want to be in with the big boys. Every professional football player thinks he's proper. And, if you think that, then you want to be in against the very best. 'The Europa League might be more rewarding in terms of results, and you might go further in it. But I would take my chance in the Champions League. I want to play against the best.' As welcome as it was to see a largely positive sequence of European results continue on Tuesday, the main desire of Rangers supporters is for their side to return to the top of the pile in Scotland. Only then would the second revolution feel complete. 'Same old story. It's no good finishing second,' said Souness. 'I'm much-travelled, worked in several different countries. And I come back to this. It's the biggest rivalry in football, that I know of. The next one would be Galatasaray and Fenerbahce, and Manchester United and Liverpool. But this (Glasgow) is above that. 'The way I see football in this country, and I'll upset lots of football supporters, there are four institutions that are football clubs in this country: Liverpool, Man United, Rangers and Celtic. 'And why is it? It's because, as I see it, the passion that the supporters have for their own football clubs is beyond what I've seen anywhere else. It can certainly, if you're involved as I was, keep you awake at night.'
Rhyl Journal
2 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
Most homes that lost power during Storm Floris reconnected
Angela Constance said the storm had a particular impact on power and transport infrastructure across the country, resulting in a major mobilisation of utility companies, national agencies and local authorities in response. The Scottish Government said transport services are almost back to normal, and that engineers are continuing to restore power to homes and businesses, with the worst affected areas in Inverness, Dornoch, and the Moray Coast. The Scottish Government also said 98% of the 71,000 homes that lost power are now restored, with the remaining 1,600 set to be reconnected over Tuesday evening. Ms Constance thanked responders who assisted in reconnecting the public and businesses with electricity. She said: 'I want to thank everyone in the public, private and third sector for the role they played in responding to Storm Floris. 'It was a significant and unseasonal storm with the worst affected areas covering a wide geographical spread. 'Engineers have worked tirelessly over the past two days to return power to the remaining affected properties as soon as possible. 'Energy companies continue to provide support to customers, including ensuring provisions are in place for the most vulnerable.' It comes as thousands of customers spent a second night without power after Storm Floris swept in on Monday. Tens of thousands of people were left without power after high winds earlier in the week, which reached speeds of up to 90mph. The company said that hundreds of engineers have been out on the network since first light on Wednesday morning working to reconnect homes. It said that 95% of customers who lost supplies due to Storm Floris have been reconnected. Andy Smith, SSEN's director of customer operations for the north of Scotland, said late on Tuesday: 'Storm Floris has been unusually powerful, especially for a storm at this time of year. 'It's brought down many trees that have endured several previous storms, and it's caused some network damage.' He added: 'I'd like to thank our customers for their understanding and patience while we go about this massive task; we're doing our best to give people realistic, informed estimates of when we'll get their power back on. 'I'm also grateful to the teams from our contract partners and other network operators for supporting our effort.' An amber weather warning was in place for an area stretching from the central belt to northern Scotland for much of the day on Monday while the rest of the country was covered by a yellow weather warning. The storm also caused significant disruption to Scotland's rail network. Network Rail said teams have been working 'tirelessly' to repair damage to infrastructure such as overhead lines and to clear fallen trees and debris from the tracks. The storm also led to delays in exam results being delivered to pupils in some island communities on SQA results day on Tuesday.
