"The housing crisis we, as a society, face touches every part of the country and addressing it requires collaborative, cross-party action at all levels"
- Brendan Geraghty - The Association for Rental Living
The Association for Rental Living (ARL) has launched a free online education programme on Build to Rent for elected councillors, mayors and ministers, with two 75-minute sessions scheduled for 19 and 26 June 2026.
The BTR 101 programme is designed to give elected representatives a grounding in the Build to Rent sector from practitioners working within it. Sessions will be led by ARL chief executive Brendan Geraghty alongside an expert panel drawn from across the sector.
Topics will include what Build to Rent homes are, the role BTR can play in addressing local housing need, planning and investment considerations, viability and delivery, and how BTR can act as a catalyst for regeneration and long-term community creation.
The programme is open to any local or county councillor, mayor or minister, including those among the 5,000-plus councillors newly elected this year.
The launch follows government guidance on Build to Rent issued earlier this month, which states that local authorities should include a plan policy setting out their approach to promoting and accommodating Build to Rent where a housing need is identified.
With 220 local authorities already carrying BTR within their residential pipelines, the ARL says the sessions will help elected representatives engage more confidently with the sector as they develop their local plan policies.
"The housing crisis we, as a society, face touches every part of the country and addressing it requires collaborative, cross-party action at all levels," said Geraghty.
"We welcome the Government's latest guidance on Build to Rent and believe that our free 'BTR 101' sessions will aid understanding of the sector for authorities setting out their approaches to promoting and accommodating build to rent in plan policy should a need be identified.
"The Build to Rent sector has already delivered c.148,000 additional, good quality new homes to rent with the potential to deliver many more, so we welcome all elected government representatives to join our free educational sessions to discover what Build to Rent is and what it can bring to our communities."
The ARL is the membership body for institutionally backed, professionally managed purpose-built rental living in the UK, representing more than 300 organisations across the sector. Its remit covers urban and suburban single-family and multi-family rental, co-living and later living.
The BTR 101 sessions run online on Friday 19 and Friday 26 June, from 11am to 12.15pm. To register, visit www.theARL.org.uk or contact info@theARL.org.uk.
