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As 2019 draws to a close, we look ahead to the next 12 months in the private rental sector. While Brexit remains a concern, albeit on the back burner, it is the general election and the full effects of a number of new lettings laws that will shape 2020. Here are Adleo Relocation’s predictions.

Rents will keep rising

A number of long-term rental forecasts can now be assessed for accuracy. In 2013, the National Housing Federation said rents would be 46% higher in 2020 but this hasn’t happened. In fact, data from Statista shows England’s average weekly rent in 2013/2014 was £176 and it stands at approximately £241 per week in 2019. Modest rises are also reflected in the latest figures from HomeLet, which reveal the average rent across the UK has risen by 2.7% in the last 12 months.

Although ongoing political wrangles have prevented an actual date being set, political parties are gearing up for a General Election by making bold claims and persuasive promises. Working hours has become a new battle ground in the race to win voters and Labour announced its support for a 32 hour working week, with designs on ‘re-balancing with a greater quality of life’ in mind.

It’s understandable that any new Prime Minister should want to put their stamp on their Government and Boris Johnson has proved no different. The new leader used his first address to the House of Commons to tackle the issue of immigration – an especially pertinent point as we hurtle headlong towards Halloween / January /  who knows when.. and our EU departure.

There is no shortage of surveys that reveal where the happiest places to live are (Orkney, Richmondshire and Rutland, if you’re wondering) and the best spot for personal wellbeing (a title that belongs to Rushmoor in Hampshire, which has the highest average rating for life satisfaction in the UK).

England’s lettings industry has undergone a wholesale change that directly affects how much it costs tenants – or their employers – to rent a property. On the 1st June 2019, the Tenant Fee Act 2019 became law, which banned a number of fees that had previously been charged to tenants. The new act is particularly applicable to the relocation market as it applies to all new tenants and tenants who are renewing their agreements as of 1st June 2019.

The famous quote ‘the reports of my death are greatly exaggerated’ may well have applied to London after the EU referendum but just like Mark Twain, the UK’s capital city is alive and well, despite speculation about its pre-Brexit demise. The news coming from London is pretty positive and should help bolster the international relocation market. Here are Adleo’s capital city highlights:-

LinkedIn has released its latest Top Companies List 2019, identifying the companies where Brits want to work the most. The companies were measured by their ability to attract attention from UK-based jobseekers and to hang on to existing talent, with the 25 slots mainly taken by household names.

If you’re looking to accommodate professionals on a short-term basis, it can be tempting to opt for a hotel. Many people romanticise about housekeeping and room service on an everyday basis but the reality can be very different (and very expensive).

Whether we wake up and realise that the world is still turning after BREXIT or seismic political shifts mean our EU departure doesn’t happen at all, relocation to the UK from outside of our own country will still happen. Whether talent comes from within Europe or from continents further afield, one trend has been noted across the industry and that is relocation tourism.

Let’s talk about the B word. Not BREXIT but budgets. Clients will increasingly be looking for budget-friendly relocation packages but the cost of renting a property in the UK is getting more expensive.

Depending on your standpoint, the BREXIT outcome illustrated how fickle people can be when it comes to voting, especially when they’re wooed by headline-making promises. One could argue that the return of blue British passports and a greater sense of patriotism was enough to vote ‘leave’ and if the general public continues to be influenced by somewhat gimmicky policies – and not by a whole manifesto – we may be heading for an employment revolution.

We have written before about the threat robots pose to the workplace but while we feel a certain level of comfort that robots are somewhat in the future – and maybe not of our generation – there are more pressing advances that will be quick to adopt and change the office dynamic forever.