Private Landlords As Part of the Solution for Accessible Housing.

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Private Landlords As Part of the Solution for Accessible Housing.

Guy Harris

Mon Feb 15, 2021

Accessible housing offers Private Landlords an investment strategy to counter many existing PRS uncertainties. We have a look at how AccessiblePRS can help you unlock these advantages.

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Private landlords offer a world of diversity to all tenants, including location, property types, tenures, and tenancy management styles. This diversity makes the private rented sector well suited to being part of the solution when it comes to increasing the provision of accessible housing nationally, precisely because it offers a greater variety of solutions to meet the needs of many wheelchair users. This is all part of the goal for equality of housing opportunity.

Private Landlords have gone through some tough and uncertain times in recent years and so will doubtless welcome some positive direction when it comes to personal investment strategies and also positive motivation to stay invested in properties. 

AccessiblePRS wants to work with private landlords because our primary objective is to increase the supply of accessible housing in the UK and we believe there’s a serious commercial case for landlords to ensure accessibility within their portfolios. In 2019-20, 4.6m households rented their home from a private landlord, representing 19% of all households in England. Yet according to Abode Impact research, 91% of wheelchair users experienced barriers accessing the PRS. We believe there is huge room for growth, providing win-win-win (landlord-tenant-UKplc) outcomes. The National Residential Landlords Association is the largest membership organisation for private residential landlords in the UK. They support and represent over 85,000 members. Their members own and manage around 10% of the Private Rented Sector, equating to half a million properties. 

Why might you be interested in investing in accessible properties?

There are a number of reasons why it’s worth your while to look at accessible housing. 

  1. Longer tenancies - because finding accessible rental properties is challenging, wheelchair users tend to stay longer, which means fewer change over and property refresh costs which equates to fewer voids and better yields.
  2. Tenants valuing your property - it’s not easy come, easy go with wheelchair accommodation so wheelchair users value their landlords and their properties, meaning better communication of maintenance issues early on, saving money on maintenance and repairs.
  3. Positive landlord / tenant relationships.
  4. Social benefits. This isn’t about charity, but you are helping solve a chronic housing issue. The social impact of giving someone a suitable home enables them to live their best life. That isn’t the same as being responsible for them, it’s just about giving people a leg up. At times where private landlords have received negative media and reputations, this can feel very different and a real positive for those who are close to their property investment and for whom it feels personal. 
  5. Equality - you’re offering equality of housing opportunity. The world is changing and equality in all areas is a big thing. Investing in accessible property is a positive action.
  6. Property Values - accessibility in housing is an area of short supply and huge demand. With our ageing population, and the lack of accessible new homes being built, this will increase for a long time yet.
Chances are you have a load of questions, and maybe some concerns. It’s worth having a read of our Myth Busting section - go to our Landlords and Investors webpage and read more. 

What can AccessiblePRS do for you?

  1. Acquisition help - if you’re looking to buy a rental property we can be your buying agent or simply offer one-off advice to ensure the property you purchase is right for the task. 
  2. Design/renovations input or plan appraisals in collaboration with your own design team.
  3. Tenant sourcing - we have a national database of potential tenants.
  4. Tenant checks and contracts - professional onboarding your tenants.
  5. Work with one of our partners for property management.
  6. In short, as much or as little as you need.
If you are interested to know more and find out how you can get involved with an accessible strategy, then contact us and let’s start a conversation. We can discuss your situation and see whether it’s for you. 
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