BPF Spotlight: Build-to-Rent Committee
The work of the BPF's committees and working groups is key to our ability to be the voice of the UK property industry.
For the first conversation in our BPF Spotlight Series, we catch-up with Senior Policy Officer Kate Butler, who is secretariat of our Build-to-Rent Committee. Here’s what she had to say about the committee and its work:
What’s the remit of the BPF BtR Committee?
The role of the committee is to increase the supply of BtR across the UK and raise sector standards. We drive best practice and policy change to achieve this, through thought leadership, research, responding to consultations, and engagement with key stakeholders.”
Who sits on the committee and who are its key stakeholders?
We’ve over 40 members from across the BtR sector, from investors to developers and advisors. Committee members are often senior representatives in their organisations, though we also encourage new professionals to get involved in our work too.
The committee's main public stakeholder is the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), but we also engage with local and combined authorities, and other Government departments.”
What issues are top of the agenda for the committee at the moment?
BtR is a really busy field! Currently, the election is front of mind for the committee, and we're advocating for policy change to enable the supply of more BtR homes to help tackle the housing crisis. We’ll be launching a manifesto on this soon as we continue to engage with political parties over the next several months.
We're also engaging with DLUHC on policy change, HM Treasury on the abolition of multiple dwellings relief (MDR) and how this is impacting the sector, raising awareness of the single-family offering, and getting ready to launch our latest demographic study, ‘Who Lives in Build to Rent?’
Looking ahead to the next 6-12 months – what are the key things that the committee are looking out for?
There’s no getting around it that the election will continue to be a big part of our work. Outside this, the BPF and Savills quarterly BtR stats are always a helpful update on the sector's progress and challenges. One area to watch out for in particular is the rapid growth of the single-family housing (BtR houses) market!
And, of course, our national Living Sectors Summit is coming up on 11 June and will give delegates a chance to hear from political and industry leaders, as well as the Minister in charge of the new Renters’ Reform Bill, Jacob Young MP.
If the committee could implement one policy to help the BtR sector, what would it be?
The abolition of MDR has significantly impacted the sector, despite it not being the intended target, wiping billions of pounds of the value of some asset portfolios and seriously affecting the viability of new schemes. The committee are united in their desire to see this reinstated for BtR, and we’re working hard to raise the impacts of the policy’s unintended consequences.
About Kate
Kate is part of our residential policy team and secretariat to the Build to Rent, Student Accommodation, and Healthcare Committees. She’s been with the BPF for six months, after moving to the UK from New Zealand, and has a background in public and regulatory law, and as a political and parliamentary advisor.
