Heads in beds as an investment strategy has been unstoppable over the past few years. For the first time on record, more money was invested globally last year in rented residential — multifamily, student housing and senior living — than in offices, Savills data showed. The expansion of the sector makes it possible for a person to live in good-quality, institutionally owned rentals for an entire lifetime, moving from purpose-built student accommodation to build-to-rent after securing a first job, then to a single-family rented home when kids enter the picture and to senior living upon retirement. The shift is wonderful for institutional real estate investors seeking lifetime customers providing stable income, which closely tracks inflation, for decades. But the picture is more mixed for society as a whole. 
The growth of people renting in the private sector has been sharp. In the UK, it has grown by 60% to 4.5 million in 2017, according to the UK government Office for National Statistics. UK home ownership dropped from a high of 70% to 63%…  Read the full story here. | 
