2021 has been a hectic year for the industry, and the festive period offers the perfect opportunity to take a breath, eat, drink, be merry and recharge our batteries for what is sure to be an equally busy 2022.

The Stamp Duty Holiday, its subsequent extension and heightened competition across the entire mortgage market resulted in sustained activity levels throughout the year. Although an expected lull has occurred within the mainstream purchase market since the end of September deadline, activity in the buy-to-let and more specialist mortgage markets has remained strong.

The recent axing of an East Midlands–Leeds high-speed line and a scaling back of the Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) project has drawn fresh attention to the government’s ‘levelling up’ plans.

When it comes to house prices, the housing market and rental demand, the capital and the South-East have often proved to be the source of much interest. However, for many savvy property professionals – even those who may have had a long history of operating in and around this area – heads have been turned in recent years to opportunities further afield. This is especially evident over the past 18 months as a number of landlords and investors have looked to explore more affordable regions in search of lower initial outlays, greater longer-term yields, the ability to mitigate risk and portfolio diversification.

We’re quickly heading towards that time of year when many people tend to have one eye on the past and one on the future. For landlords, 2021 has proved to be an opportunity-laden year and there’s plenty of optimism in the air to suggest that 2022 will see the private rental sector become an even more prominent focal point within the economy, the housing market, the mortgage industry and the intermediary community. 

One area already looking well ahead into the new year is the student community which – after a sustained period of uncertainty, remote studying and living far afield from campuses – has seen numbers return in their droves. A move which is bolstering rental demand in the larger, student-heavy areas which really suffered over the course of the pandemic. 

As the travel and hospitality sectors continue to battle ongoing challenges, these are areas which landlords and investors are keeping a close eye on in a bid to increase yields and diversify their portfolios. Holiday and short-term lets have risen in prominence over the course of 2021 to reflect ongoing international travel limitations, the rise of the staycation and the attraction for Airbnb-type properties.

This trend is likely to continue as opportunities are becoming more evident for property professionals in urban areas, as well as coastal areas, as the UK gradually opens its borders to more tourists. In addition, some workers and their employers are opting for short-term lets as more flexible and secure places to stay whilst heading back into their London offices.

In the last few weeks we have seen many world leaders, delegates and famous faces jet in and jet out, stay awake and fall asleep at the COP26 summit in Glasgow. The lasting impact remains to be seen but, if nothing else, it’s encouraging to see such widespread coverage of this event and the awareness being raised around the huge climate-related challenges which impact us all.

The medium to longer term effects of the pandemic continue to have a major bearing on various industries, sectors and individual businesses within these. The housing and mortgage markets have been fortunate to emerge from these challenging times relatively unscathed, although it’s evident that some homeowners, landlords and tenants have suffered to some degree. And we can’t, and mustn’t, ignore the financial strain being placed on such people.