News Redefining single-family design for Build to Rent

Redefining single-family design for Build to Rent

Features, News

October 20, 2025

By Richard Daw, Director at PRP 

 

The Building Safety Act and the Renters’ Rights Bill are shaking up the rental sector in ways that many institutional landlords, investors, and their residents alike are still coming to grips with. At PRP, we see first-hand how these changes, and others like the upcoming Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES 2030), are speeding up a quiet revolution, prompting a rapid rise in single-family rental (SFR) Build to Rent homes across the UK. 

In the last five years, billions of pounds have flowed from traditional multifamily apartments into SFR Build to Rent developments; £1bn was invested in the first half of 2025 alone. According to a recent report, 37% of investment has shifted this way. The Building Safety Act has exponentially sped up this shift. Indeed, the additional costs and time required for high-rise building accreditation, particularly the Gateway Two process, have become prohibitively expensive and time-consuming for many developers.

For families, SFR Build to Rent offers the space and independence of a house, alongside the quality, service, and stability you only get from a professionally managed Build to Rent provider. For large-scale landlords and institutional investors, it is about securing an asset that remains valuable and versatile, regardless of what the market, or ever-changing policymakers, have in store.

As architects, our challenge here is to design homes that deliver for renters today, with an eye always on future saleability and operational efficiency. In practice, this means redefining our approach to address the specific demands of a dual market at scale. Every decision, from the choice of durable materials to the way we configure a hallway, must meet the expectations of both the current tenant and a potential future owner, all while keeping evolving regulations front and centre.

 

Bridging the gap between renting and buying

Historically, homes were either ‘built to rent’ or ‘built to sell’. Now, institutional investors and major operators are looking for both options in one portfolio. With so many smaller private landlords leaving the market due to tougher rules and higher costs, SFR Build to Rent is plugging the gap at scale and offering large operators an opportunity to deliver long-term stability to families and higher resilience for their investments.

Adaptability is key to this approach. With an eye toward operational ease and future flexibility, we can create spacious, practical floorplans with rooms that effortlessly adapt from children’s play areas to home offices or family dining spaces. Storage is never an afterthought; built-in wardrobes and smart cupboards are planned from the outset to minimise management headaches now, and drive buyer appeal down the road.

Materials must stand the test of time and the demands of high-tenant turnover. That’s why we should specify durable and simple yet attractive finishes, so homes retain their high-quality feel for years without major refurb. This is straightforward cost-saving for operators and buyers alike.

But it’s not just about what happens inside four walls. We need to think beyond interiors to ensure maintenance remains simple and affordable for scale operators throughout the lifecycle of the asset. Mechanical kit (e.g. boilers, electrics and ventilation) is positioned for easy access, whether it’s your Build to Rent maintenance team or, later, a homeowner’s contractor doing planned works. External finishes are chosen for low upkeep, so assets stay looking sharp on the street and management costs are predictable. Even gardens need to be designed with operational efficiency in mind; native planting means less watering or pruning and lower overheads for landlord and resident alike.

One of the trickiest tasks, and greatest opportunities, comes with ensuring that entire SFR Build to Rent sites can easily transition from Build to Rent to outright sale or deliver a mix of tenures as needed. That means carefully organising neighbourhoods within larger sites, designing in clear access, independent utilities, and flexible amenities for whichever route is taken.

Finally, with MEES 2030 approaching fast, ignoring energy performance is not an option. High insulation, advanced glazing, and robust airtightness are standard now, not simply to tick a compliance box, but because lower energy bills will always be a selling point for tenants and an extra mark of quality for future buyers. Integrating low-carbon technology like air source heat pumps, solar PV and MVHR should be routine, to ensure lower running costs, ESG compliance, and improved value for whoever calls these homes theirs.

 

Design is our defence against uncertainty

No one knows exactly what the housing market or policy landscape will demand of large-scale operators in five or ten years. That’s why flexibility by design is the smartest foundation for any SFR Build to Rent portfolio. By planning ahead, we protect institutional investments and give families more ways to find a home that suits them, rented today, maybe owned tomorrow.

If the Renters’ Rights Bill and the Building Safety Act are the latest shake-up, our answer is not to fear change, but to plan for it right at the drawing board. Architects have a more strategic part to play here than many realise. Good design isn’t just about how a home looks; it’s about future-proofing Britain’s housing so it serves residents, operators, and investors for decades (centuries!) to come.

 

This feature first appeared in BTR News