With the festive season rapidly approaching, many of you will be looking forward to some rest and relaxation after what has been another roller coaster year with the ongoing pandemic. Not long ago I myself, alongside many others, were looking towards the post-Covid era with some degree of confidence, but ‘the twist in the tale’ with the latest variant has shown that optimism - for now - to be somewhat misplaced.

And yet, as we highlight on page 48 in our report on the Property Investors Awards, a good number of property entrepreneurs have demonstrated their capabilities over the year and put together some highly successful projects. Providing much needed quality homes and workplaces for  tenants and home buyers.

Unfortunately there are vested interests such as the tenant action groups like Shelter who are predisposed to quickly denounce property developers and landlords. This ongoing negativity and lobbying against private landlords resulted in the infamous S24 tax changes brought in George Osborne, which alongside an increasing burden of over-regulation has seen many landlords look to exit the Private Rented Sector.

As we report in our news sections the resultant impact of the supply shortages of rental property in many UK regions, inevitably leads to rent increases and widespread frustration with housing supply issues for younger people.