It’s been a rollercoaster couple of years for the property sector, both at home in the UK and overseas. As living with COVID in our midst becomes increasingly routine, what could this mean for property in 2022? From owner-occupiers and renters to investors and second-home buyers, we’ve rounded up expert opinions on what next year has in store.

The UK housing market

According to Dale Anderson, MD of Fabrik Invest, UK house prices should continue to rise during 2022, albeit at a more sedate pace than during 2021. He comments:

“Despite the Stamp Duty holiday no longer being a factor, I expect house prices to continue to rise steadily in 2022, as there is still a fundamental shortage of supply in the UK. The shortage of building materials, and shipping restrictions and disruption in relation to those raw materials, is likely to push prices of new builds up, as well.”

Fabrik Invest’s CEO, Steve Jacob, believes that increased interest from investment funds and institutions will also continue to feed price increases. The entrance of Lloyds Bank into the residential market, with its aim to become the UK’s largest landlord within the next five years, is testament to this trend.

The private rented sector

The shortage of high-quality rental properties is likely to keep pushing rental prices up in 2022, according to Fabrik Invest’s Dale Anderson. James Maguire, Head of Sales and Business Development at UK rental guarantor service Housing Hand, agrees:

“Demand continues to outweigh supply in the UK, which means we can reasonably expect that rents will continue to rise. This is also pushing the expansion of Build to Rent models of accommodation. Once seen as more appealing to younger renters, the potential of these kinds of developments for tenants of all ages is becoming more widely appreciated.”

With interest rates so low, Maguire believes that large investors will see the UK as a great opportunity to see a greater return on investment in 2022, with many of them setting their sights on the Build to Rent sector and on Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA).

In terms of accommodation providers, Housing Hand has seen increased demand of late for faster and more secure onboarding of their tenants – a trend which the company anticipates will be important in 2022.