In recent years, the consensus of opinion has been that buying a home can often prove cheaper than renting. However, like many things, the pandemic appears to have altered this trend. Despite rents in Great Britain seeing a 7.1% rise over the last 12 months, strong house price growth fuelled by the stamp duty holiday coupled with increases in higher loan-to-value mortgage rates are suggested to have resulted in a big turnaround.

Research from Hamptons outlined that renting is now cheaper than buying a home. This illustrated that people buying with a 10% deposit would have been better off than renters by £102 a month before the pandemic began in March 2020. However, last month, data showed that the average private sector tenant was better off, spending £71 a month less in rent.

I recently tried to source a carpenter for a relatively small project in the house. I don’t know one personally so I did the usual thing of asking friends and neighbours if they could recommend a good local one. I compiled a short list and contacted them (some more successfully than others). Again, as per the norm, I finally manged to get a couple around for a quote. This took a little bit of time but thankfully I’m not in any great hurry. And I was even more thankful of this fact when they told me that the earliest they could do the work ranged from September to November.

The renting versus house purchase debate is an age old one. Events over the past 12 months or so have helped clarify the property-related priorities of some but also served to further muddy the waters for others.

Although homeownership aspirations appear to remain strong, rising house prices and demand means that these continue to be a challenge for many. Research from Aldermore recently revealed that 38% of prospective first-time buyers said they were rejected for a mortgage once (compared to 36% in March 2020), and 43% said they were rejected for a mortgage more than once, a large spike from just 17% in March 2020.

Here at Dynamo we have many relationships with a variety of investors. From those who have been building their property portfolios for decades through to those who are taking their first steps onto the property ladder. Each have different short, medium and longer-term goals which will inevitably be affected by changes in circumstance, finances and future aspirations. As such, an integral role in this advice process is understanding the motivations behind these investments, the risks involved and potential exit strategies along the way.

The past year has taught us that scenarios and attitudes to money can change quickly and, from a landlord perspective, it’s important for advisers to really get to know their clients and understand where the new generation of landlords may emerge from.

A growing number of landlords, homeowners and tenants are highlighting energy efficiency to help both the environment and keep running costs down. However, in order for green mortgages to really gain traction, an increasing number of lenders must get involved to create genuine competition.

Thankfully, we are seeing a raft of activity across the BTL and residential markets. In Q1, Paragon launched four green further advance products to support landlords in improving the energy performance of their properties. Foundation Home Loans also introduced a ‘Green Reward’ remortgage for landlords to reward those who have paid out to make improvements.

I love a bit of tech. Especially in the form of new platforms and different ways to engage with people. I’m not exactly prolific across all social media platforms but I do appreciate their appeal. LinkedIn is probably the medium I have tended to use the most in recent years, although I am becoming more and more invested in what remains a relatively new concept – Clubhouse.