The availability of good quality new build homes for young residents is being fuelled by a buoyant
buy-to-let property market, according to the Association of Residential Lettings Agents (ARLA).
Experts at ARLA argue that
buy-to-let is giving young people a wider choice of homes to live in, opening up new locations featuring high quality homes that many young
buyers would otherwise be unable to afford.
ARLA spokesperson Malcom Harrison explains that many young people are not interested in actually buying a
property but simply want to live in better homes in better areas. Renting makes this possible, giving tenants the option to live in areas that they wouldn't otherwise be able to afford.
"The first time buyer probably can’t afford a lot of those
properties, but the
buy to let investor allows the first time buyer to live there," explained Mr Harrison.
"Buy-to-let investors have opened up a lot of locations and made them attractive to live in. So they’ve increased the general housing
stock, and the quality of the housing stock ."
Recent figures from
Mortgage Trust suggest that buy-to-let investors are getting younger, with over a quarter of investors with one buy-to-let property aged between 26 and 35.
