SLK Property – Modern Developments for Homes and Investment

I was very interested to read about a number of good sized co-living developments being planned for Dublin and, particularly interstingly, Dun Laoghaire. The company involved, Bartra, quote a clear definition of their young, target customer. From a business point of view that seems very smart, and probably works best for these larger developments. Personally, […]

“Critics round on No 10 over ‘ridiculous’ rules for 14-day quarantine” I have yet to see any mention of the effect a quarantine regime will have on businesses outside the “travel and tourism” sectors. While it is obvious that those sectors will suffer, there are many other businesses, such as Zetland, our student accommodation in […]

“We can’t yet say what’s on offer in September, UK universities tell freshers” If you UK universities still can’t say what they’re going to do for 2020/21, it’s unreasonable to expect our potential tenants to make solid commitments. For the moment, while we continue to receive enquiries, we are finding students cannot be certain about […]

One thing’s for sure, almost everyone is having it tough but, generally, we are all ‘pulling together’ to navigate these difficult times. So is it reasonable for students to be demanding rent reductions and cancellation of contracts? I read this article last week and thought it was worth a short comment. Landlords are often vilified […]

I read this comprehensive and balanced article a while ago but revisited it today. I thought it would provide a really good introduction for anyone who isn’t really sure what ‘co-living’ is and why it could be worth their investment. The article even clearly defines the difference between ‘co-living’ and ‘co-housing’ together with both positive […]

I received the following “Top 20 areas of North Yorkshire’s rental market revealed” through LinkedIn today and I was keen to see the report. It’s only short and when I’d finished I wasn’t sure what I’d learnt, if anything. Then a closer look revealed … nothing! After the introductory fluff, the first pertinent table allegedly […]

In a potentially landmark decision, the Stirling Prize for the UK’s best new building was awarded to the Goldsmith Street social housing development in Norwich. Not only is it the first time the award has been given to social housing, it marks a significant change in focus for the jury. Last year’s award went to […]

It appears WeWork has expanded too fast, too far and wide, and too thinly. Whereas the product models, of both WeWork and WeLive, are most definitely finding favour with consumers, the financing model is becoming ‘problematic’. WeWork has pulled their much vaunted flotation amid signs their expansion has been overly aggressive. With the back-loaded nature […]

A few days ago I stumbled on this lovely article about an imaginative business located in the North Yorkshire, which encourages visitors to the Yorkshire Dales to explore the wonderful countryside in ‘green’, electric campervans. The article goes on to describe a number of the beautiful locations, places to visit and ‘things to do’. It […]

During our journey through life we experience many boxes; the box we live in, the box we learn in, the box we travel in. And then there’s the box we think in. Society generally dictates we accept the way things are – it has always been that way, therefore it will always be that way. […]

I found this interesting article the other day. It’s refreshing to see a positive attitude expressed on HMO lending. Of course in reality, there are still lots of hoops to jump through, perhaps more, but the products do offer more options. Top slicing for one. In the Reporter article they quote ‘high than average’ rental […]

An all-party parliamentary group on housing and care for older people has released a report warning of an impending crisis in renting for older generations. According to chair, Richard Best, “The number of households headed by someone over 64 will treble over the next 25-30 years … unless at least 21,000 suitable homes are built […]

HMRC today pushed for legislation to raise VAT from 5% to 20% on solar battery systems. Why? Apparently because the EU ruled that reduced VAT rates amount to a state subsidy, which is not allowed. Hence the UK needs to get in line. I’m generally pro EU but here is an example where its behaviour […]

We are currently treading softly on a totally off market potential deal to convert a pub in one of Harrogate’s outlying villages. This is a significant single plot development project which, if the right investor can be found, we could more pro-actively push forward. We might also be able to work with the vendor for […]

As we all know, deals ‘fall out of bed’ all the time. The co-working project is just another one, having fallen through today. Although, this one is a bit unusual as the reason it will not be going ahead is that the prospective landlord / vendor signed up another party to their site without any […]

An opportunity has arisen to establish a new business centre in Harrogate encompassing co-working alongside regular offices. We are currently exploring a partnership with an established provider to expand their brand into a new location in Harrogate. Of course, there’s a long way to go – we need to research market demand, current competitor offerings […]

The co-living model is developing fast in the USA. There are new entrants all over mainland Europe. And now we see that a German company has secured €1bn to invest in 35 co-living properties creating space for 6000 residents over the next 5 years. The press release states that developments will be located in Austria, […]

We have a fantastic opportunity to convert a commercial premises in Harrogate which we wish to use as a ‘flagship’ property supporting the establishment of a wider ‘co-living’ property investment business. We would love to speak with anybody who thinks they may be able to help me achieve ambitious goals and quickly scale the wider […]

The Business Proposal is written, the full Business Plan is ‘in progress’, the market is maturing and primed for ‘disruption’. SLK are moving into the co-living arena with our new project(s) and we have ambitions. BIG ambitions (but not BHAGs – and if you don’t know what BHAGs are, consider yourself lucky!). While researching the […]

It has been a long and difficult journey, to say the least!  But yesterday afternoon we finally got the commercial refinance in place for the Huddersfield Zetland House project. We now have a fantastic group of properties in a ‘cluster style’ student format providing 35 bedrooms, 8 kitchens and 14 bath/shower rooms. We are immensely […]

“Let’s shout it from the Dales: here’s why Yorkshire is the best.” Of course, a lot of us think where we live is best. However, many people would love to live up here instead of where they live now. There is certainly a quality of life here among the best in the country. You see […]

A short, interesting article flagging up the very real possibility that Student Landlords will soon be paying Council Tax. To be fair, it is very hard to argue that there should be no Council Tax paid, or that the burden should be borne by the students themselves. After all the recent legislative and taxation changes, […]

As those of us who live in this ‘golden triangle’ know, there is significant wealth around these parts. The prime end of the market in particular remains buoyant and shows all signs of maintaining solid growth even should the post-Brexit UK economy take a significant downturn. This is not only at the luxury end though. […]

I’m having to investigate Capital Allowances on our Zetland House purchase, with a view to exploiting them ourselves on an ongoing basis and the valuation of any future sale. This is a complex and, dare I say, crushingly dull affair. However, if it saves money, it makes you money and this article has provided me […]

Renowned property experts Allsop say they are witnessing the exploitation of a gap in the student accommodation market for HMOs – the ‘secondary’ Private Rented Sector market, away from the institutional brands such as iQ and DIGS. Larger scale investors are looking specifically at developing and acquiring HMOs with close proximity, great facilities and, most […]

Two of our Huddersfield student HMOs had conditions imposed on the planning approval requiring the premises only be let to students. Students are exempt from council tax and if we are presented with a council tax bill (which happened recently) we pay the council tax and have it quickly refunded. For now we are safe, […]

Number 2 in their list of areas for property investment growth potential: “2. Leeds, York and Harrogate – Yorkshire & Humberside. These are the affluent areas of the region where people are not as constrained by affordability. And yet, because prices are nowhere near the £1m, £2m, £3m mark that they are in London, growth has not […]

There’s plenty of optimism for the next few years, both in the student sector and particularly Northern investments.  A word of warning though, the report is soaked in one over-riding assumption – that international students will not be included in future migration target numbers. As long as they are not, Savill’s forecast 6% annual growth […]