Every week, around every town, I see yet another ‘Land acquired for a stylish development of 2, 3 and 4 bedroom homes’ sign. I’ve asked before (which won’t stop me asking again), who the heck is going to buy them all? Not the homeless, not first-time buyers (most of whom can’t afford a shoebox); and they can’t all be buy-to-lets. Despite the supposed Great Housing Shortage, supply must soon exceed demand. Which could be a still-bigger problem.
“John Lewis foray into BTR could result in losses of £57m”
I did predict a while ago that Waitrose Homes rather than Waitrose Home Deliveries could be the future. John Lewis were probably the most benign big business to decide to go into the housing rental market, a move which could swing things away from the unpredictability of the mass of private landlords who dominate the sector.
