Legal & General – one of the country’s biggest Build To Rent players – has struck a deal with new build firm Cala Homes.

Under it some 107 homes at Crowthorne in Berkshire will be used for BTR. This is the first deal between the two businesses, which are both owned by Legal & General Capital.

The 107 homes are expected to be completed in 2025 and will comprise two- and three-bedroom houses constructed to the new Part L standards with electric vehicle charging points and air source heat pumps. The wider Crowthorne new build development, called Buckler’s Park, will have 1,000 homes and will include a community and sports hall, nursery, café, flexible meeting spaces, and a new primary school.

David Reid, managing director of Legal & General Suburban Build To Rent, says: “Demand for new homes remains high across the country, so it is vital to keep investing in and developing multi-tenure offerings to suit the diverse needs of housing customers. At Legal & General SBTR, we aim to deliver the high-quality housing stock with reliable customer service needed to meet this demand, and we are thrilled to be collaborating with Cala Homes on the Buckler’s Park site in Crowthorne. 

“We look forward to continuing our relationship with Cala to deliver much-needed homes for rent across the UK and to build upon the synergies between the L&G housing businesses.”

Legal & General says its suburban BTR offering is designed “to reflect new ways of living post-Covid, such as incorporating home offices and offering access to more extensive outdoor space.” 

In line with Legal & General’s wider commitment to sustainability, the SBTR platform will target to be operationally carbon net zero from 2030.