Residential Research Paper series

'Institutional Investment in European PRS: Strategies, barriers and pathways to supply' is the fourth paper in INREV’s research series on the European intermediary private rented sector (PRS). By considering institutional investors’ strategic objectives and how they may be aligned with public policy ambitions, the paper identifies the conditions under which different types of institutional capital can most effectively contribute to solving Europe’s housing supply crisis.

Key highlights:

• The establishment of the European Housing Alliance recognises the need for proactive engagement, continuous dialogue, and adaptive strategies.
• Policy uncertainty emerges as a primary risk and extends beyond rent regulation to any policy that impacts on income or cost.
• Fiduciary duty of investors and managers – and the consequences of failing to meet future pension obligations – is often not fully understood by policymakers and other stakeholders.
• Rotation of capital through the development lifecycle is critical. The paper explores how policy frameworks can be employed to harness and accelerate housing delivery and, conversely, how policy risk can extinguish long-term viability and deter investment.
• Even in stabilised assets, policy risk is significant if the gap between affordable and market rents widens unpredictably. Any policy revisions should explicitly consider the impact on institutional capital and its ability to support housing delivery.

Given the scale of the European housing crisis, INREV’s series of residential papers are publicly available to help raise awareness and transparency in the search for a solution.