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For-profit Rent to Buy provider increases pipeline by a third during lockdown

A leading Rent to Buy provider that leases homes to housing associations saw its pipeline increase by a third during the COVID-19 crisis, as it expanded its business model to include the purchase of market sale homes.

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Rentplus currently owns just over 850 homes, but expects to increase this to 5,000 homes by the end of the year (picture: Getty)
Rentplus currently owns just over 850 homes, but expects to increase this to 5,000 homes by the end of the year (picture: Getty)
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A leading Rent to Buy provider has increased its pipeline to 18,000 by buying market sale homes during lockdown #UKHousing

Rentplus currently owns just over 850 homes, but expects to increase this to 5,000 homes by the end of the year #UKHousing

Rentplus, which was set up by a group of investors in 2012, currently has a pipeline of 18,341 homes, including 1,200 under construction and 789 offered into the market.

This is compared to the pipeline of 11,800 it had at the end of January this year, including 866 homes under construction and 4,048 offered into the market.

Rentplus previously only acquired properties from developers through Section 106 agreements. However, it began acquiring units on the free market from smaller property developers during lockdown.

It has now had offers accepted or completed on nearly 1,200 units for its Rent to Buy portfolio and has a further 7,100 units in its sights, including a significant number originally earmarked for private sale.


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Rentplus leases homes to housing associations that provide tenants with five-year renewable leases with rent set at 80% of market rates. At the end of a tenancy period, tenants are given the option of purchasing their homes, receiving a gifted deposit of 10% of the property’s value.

The company is funded by institutional investors and does not use any kind of grant or public subsidy to deliver its portfolio.

It currently owns just over 850 homes, but expects to increase this to 5,000 homes by the end of the year.

Steve Collins, chief executive at Rentplus, said: “During lockdown, at a time when housing associations thought they would have to halt the purchase of land and new-build homes, and housing developers were unable to realise sales, we saw an opportunity to take on further sites by adapting our business model.

“This has not only enabled us to accelerate the growth of our pipeline by over a third, it has also enabled us to ensure the provision of housing for key and front line workers – the very people who were keeping the country afloat during lockdown.”

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