The Build To Rent (BTR) sector has a vital role to play in addressing the UK’s housing crisis, but schemes must be viable, sustainable, and community-led, a panel of industry experts claim.

At a roundtable hosted by property consultancy JLL and solicitors Mills & Reeve , the discussion explored the challenges and opportunities in BTR and underscored the need for collaboration across the public and private sectors.

A key takeaway was the need to engage investors early to secure financial viability and mitigate risk. Manchester’s Ancoats regeneration was cited as a success, where private investment aligned with local planning to create a thriving community.

However, attendees debated whether high-quality, affordable housing could be delivered while meeting government targets, given rising costs and regulatory hurdles.

In particular, the Building Safety Act – while recognised as essential for ensuring resident safety – was described as having the unintended consequence of delaying housing delivery due to intricate compliance requirements and a shortage of planning officers.

Attendees agreed that the industry model must change, giving communities a greater say in shaping developments. Placemaking remains critical, but the sector must also balance digital and environmental progress with long-term financial viability.

Alexandra Bright, Development Associate Director at JLL, said: “Collaboration is key to shaping a sustainable and responsive Build-to-Rent sector, and conversations like these help us tackle challenges, share best practices and drive innovation. It was fantastic to bring together a diverse group of experts for a dynamic and insightful discussion – by working together, we can create high-quality, community-focused developments that meet both investor and tenant needs.”

Phil Hepworth, director at AEW Architects, says: “With the need to develop more housing to cater for all and to deliver this in such a challenging economic and social climate, it is key that we collaborate and engage with all stakeholders to drive quality and efficiency and deliverability at speed. This round table event provided a great opportunity to get a diverse group of professionals together to discuss and understand the challenges we all face at all stages of development and how we can help each other ultimately unlock and deliver people and place focused, sustainable, fit for purpose communities.”