The Rise Of The “Forever Renter” And What This Means For The Market

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The biggest shift in the property market is a growing number of people who could buy, deciding not to. For a hundred years, the property industry has run on one assumption: renting is a waiting room, ownership is the destination. That assumption no longer holds.

TheC clearest evidence is in how renters describe their own choice. Entrata's April 2026 survey of over 2,000 US renters found 81% now call renting the smarter financial move — up from 72% among Gen Z a year earlier — and 71% say the American Dream itself is evolving. That's not the language of people settling. It's the language of people redefining what winning looks like.

It would be easy to file this under the usual "priced out" story. Yes, affordability explains why someone can't buy; it doesn't explain why a wealthy individual, or a dual-income professional couple with a healthy deposit sitting in savings, chooses to keep renting anyway. That is a preference, not a constraint and this is what the market is built around.

What makes this different from every "generation rent" story before it is who is choosing it: young professionals renting for the flexibility to move for work; wealthy households keeping capital liquid rather than locking it into one asset; internationally mobile executives who need to relocate on six weeks' notice, not sixteen. RentCafe's analysis of US Census data found millionaire renter households grew 204% between 2019 and 2023, to nearly 13,700 — outpacing the 169% growth in millionaire homeowners over the same period.

The intent data confirms it from the other direction. Rently's 2026 Renting by Generation Report found mortgage plans among renters have fallen from roughly 15% to just 6.4% in a year, and a third of millennial and Gen Z non-owners now say they may never buy — not out of despair, but as a settled plan. In the UK, the House of Commons Library found 59% of 35-to-54-year-olds are unsure whether they'll ever own — a cohort that, a generation ago, would already be two or three houses into ownership.

Capital has read this correctly, even where the industry has been slower to build for it. UK build-to-rent investment hit a record £5.3 billion in 2025; Q1 2026 alone brought in £795 million, the strongest first quarter since 2022, with full-year volumes forecast at £5.7 billion. Occupancy sits near 97%, and rental premiums have nearly doubled since 2016. Institutional money doesn't move at that pace toward something it expects to be temporary, and it isn't moving toward the bottom of the market — it's moving toward the buildings, cities and price points where forever renters actually want to live.

For agents, developers and operators, the implication is simple: a market built to sell people out of renting can't also be the market that serves them well inside it. Buildings need to be run, staffed and designed as though the tenant intends to stay — because increasingly, they do. That means service standards, amenity design and lease flexibility built for years of tenancy, not for the few months before a deposit clears. Relationships that used to end at completion now need to extend across years of renewal and relocation. Firms that treat this as a smaller version of the old business will lose the client to whoever treats it as the real one.

This isn't about people giving up on a home. It's about the definition of home changing, permanently, for a meaningful share of the market, at every income level. The winners of the next decade won't be the ones still using renting as a rehearsal for ownership. They'll be the ones built for people who intend to rent well.

Article: By Mohamed Mussa, Managing Director, Chestertons Global

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Aug 20

3 min read

One of Scotland's leading family-run hotel and leisure groups is celebrating three decades of award-winning success on the Ayrshire coast this month.

The Irvine-based Simpson family is the driving force behind SimpsInns, which now owns and operates a collection of top hotels, restaurants, bars, spa, golf, and leisure activities, including The Waterside Hotel & Spa in West Kilbride, The Gailes Hotel & Spa in Irvine, and The Loans Inn at Troon.

Established in June 1996 by Malcolm and Karen Simpson, The Loans Inn (formerly The Bruce Inn) was the first hotel in the SimpsInns portfolio. The Gailes in Irvine opened in 2002, followed by the group’s third hotel, The Waterside, in 2011.

Golf and gym facilities were added to the collection in 2014. SimpsInns' debut spa opened at The Gailes in 2021, followed by The Waterside five years later in 2026.

The family-owned firm has gone from strength to strength over the thirty years, thanks to an ongoing programme of investment and a dedicated team of over 300 hospitality professionals.

Today, the next generation of the Simpson family are supporting their parents, Malcolm and Karen, with the next chapter of the SimpsInns success story. Jack Simpson (32) was just two years old and Lee Simpson (30) wasn’t born when the company was founded in the mid 1990s, but they’re now part of the senior management team, leading some of the most ambitious investment projects in the company’s history.

As part of its 30th anniversary year, SimpsInns has just launched Scotland’s ultimate new spa break destination, just 40 minutes south of Glasgow. Boasting commanding sea views over the Firth of Clyde towards the Isle of Arran, The Waterside Hotel at West Kilbride now offers a stunning new sea-view spa and restaurant following a major £3 million development.

The opening of Si! Spa at The Waterside is part of SimpsInns’ wider ambition to enhance its reputation for offering the best spa and leisure experiences across the Ayrshire coast region.

Looking back on the last 30 years, Malcolm Simpson from SimpsInns, said:

“While much has changed over the last thirty years, our commitment to great food, warm hospitality and exceptional service remains at the heart of everything we do."

“Looking back at where we started and seeing where we are today, we’re incredibly proud of how far we’ve come. Our success is very much owed to our dedicated team and a constant focus on ongoing investment across each of our venues."

“We’d like to thank all our entire team, guests, suppliers and friends who have continued to support SimpsInns over the last three decades."

“We look forward to what the next thirty years has to bring as we celebrate our special anniversary year and the launch of Scotland’s ultimate new spa break destination at The Waterside in 2026.”

Malcolm’s son, Jack Simpson, is part of the senior management team at SimpsInns. He added:

“As we look to the future, our focus remains on continued development across the business. We want to maximise the opportunities ahead of us, while never losing sight of what got us here in the first place - delivering great experiences and maintaining the high standards our guests expect."

“Equally important is continuing to invest in our people, developing our team and creating opportunities for them to grow alongside the business. After 30 years, we're as ambitious as ever and excited about what the next chapter holds for SimpsInns.”

Many famous faces have walked through the doors of SimpsInns’ venues over the last three decades, including actors James Nisbet and Robson Green; musician, Pete Docherty; TV personalities, Mark Wright and Jean Johanson; news presenter, Naga Munchetty; footballer, Ally McCoist; and Swedish professional golfer, Alexander Norén.

A motion was recently passed in the Scottish Parliament to recognise Simpsinns for the Best Spa Hotel in Scotland accolade at the Scottish Hotel Awards 2026 and in recognition of SimpsInns’ achievements as one of Scotland’s leading hospitality businesses over the last 30 years.

For more information on the SimpsInns Group, visit here.

Photo: Credit SimpsInns

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