Happy New Year to all of our subscribers, I hope you had an enjoyable festive period, and with 2025 now behind us we can look forward to what 2026 has in store for the property market.
The obvious one is the Renters’ Rights Act, which comes into force in May, take a look at the article on page 38 from Peter Littlewood of iHowz, in his first contribution to the magazine, he talks about how it will affect the student market.
Our lead article on page 12 investigates how the older generations are affecting the housing market as the various options open to them, specifically care and retirement homes are unable to meet demand and what the solutions may be, which opens up various avenues for savvy investors.
This article is followed up on page 26, where Adam Lawrence talks about how it presents property investors, who can understand the operational risk and asset specificity, with a long-term opportunity.
On page 20, David Kemp has taken a deep dive into the new draft NPPF (National Planning Policy Framework), which was only announced last month, and the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025, which is now law, and what investors and developers need to be aware of in both these key pieces of legislation.
Whilst on page 28 we look at what has happened over the past 12 months, with the development industry given much of what it asked for, yet we are still seeing a fall in the number of consents approved and whether in 2026 the changes can finally help turn the corner and improve delivery.
On page 34 Mark Hempshell has trained his eye on the Docklands area of London and looked at what developments are currently underway, or in the pipeline and how the recent softening of demand for commercial space has resulted in a diversification away from purely the financial sector, to alternatives such as retail and leisure amenities and the relocation of several markets, plus of course housing.
Our PIN fund returns on page 32, and after the hit it took in the previous quarter (Q3), I’m sure many of you will be keen to see how it has fared in the final quarter of 2025.
Suzi Carter has looked into the various legislative changes that have happened in the commercial property market recently on page 30, where she has summed up what they mean for the market.
There are many more articles in the issue, including on page 22 where Ritchie Clapson offers his thoughts on development in seaside towns and Lucia Picininni on page 16 analyses how horizontal and vertical extensions can offer a greater return that starting from scratch.
