Property expert warns: New mega-rental buildings might change British cities forever

The build-to-rent market has grown from a small-scale idea into a game-changing force in british housing. Walking through any major UK city nowadays youʼll spot these mega-buildings rising up - packed with rental-only apartments that are changing how people live together

In my role as Property Investment Advisor Iʼve noticed something interesting: these projects pack way more homes into tiny spaces than regular developments do. The other day I saw a london project that made me stop and think - its tower reached towards the sky like nothing Iʼd seen before (the secret is they dont need private gardens because of shared spaces)

A perfect example is the west-london Greenford Quay site: what started as a plan for about 600 homes turned into a massive 2‚188-unit development. Big investors need at least 200 units to make money; they say its all about scale and control of the neighborhood

These mega-landlords build super-fast and charge premium rents which is kind of weird because:
* Regular landlords get called parasites
* Build-to-rent companies get treated like heroes
* The government supports both private ownership and these rental schemes
* Most people pay more rent here than in normal flats

Im worried about whats coming in 10 yrs time - when these shiny new buildings start showing their age. Some reports already talk about building issues and rising rents; if management slips even a bit these dream homes could become nightmares

The governments mixed messages about renting vs buying dont help. Building places where people can only rent - never buy - might create future problems we cant even imagine yet. While build-to-rent has its place we need to think harder about what were doing to our cities