Blackhorse Mills becomes first BTR scheme to achieve Home Quality Mark status from BRE Global
Blackhorse Mills, a major residential development in Walthamstow, London, has become the first build-to-rent (BTR) scheme to be certified to the Home Quality Mark by BRE Global.
Developed by Legal & General and constructed by Galliford Try Partnerships, Blackhorse Mills is also the largest residential development to achieve this accolade in the UK to date.
This landmark seal of approval on the 479-home development will provide landlords and tenants with the assurance that their new home has been independently verified to high sustainability and quality standards.
The Home Quality Mark is an impartial quality rating scheme for all new-build homes, including BTR. It empowers householders by giving them information and the insight they need to make smart choices when buying or renting homes. At the same time, it provides home builders and investors with the means of demonstrating the quality of their homes and distinguishing them from others in the market.
This significant milestone achieved at Blackhorse Mills provides validation of the low running costs, low environmental impact and multiple health and wellbeing benefits that will be enjoyed by those living at the development. Careful consideration in its design, with regards to ventilation, overheating and communal green spaces with cycle and footpaths, ensures it integrates and improves the existing environment and supports occupants’ wellbeing.
Dan Batterton, Head of BTR at LGIM Real Assets, said: “At Legal & General, we are committed to building and creating more sustainable communities for now and into the future. With many Londoners renting and with more people electing to rent, it is more important than ever to create places that are high-quality, sustainable and environmentally friendly, which our residents would be proud to call home. We are pleased to be developing and operating the first Build to Rent scheme, and largest residential scheme, to achieve the Home Quality Mark accolade.”
Matthew Whitman, Sustainability Manager at Galliford Try Partnerships London, said: “We are proud that Blackhorse Mills has achieved this HQM rating, recognising its excellence in quality across several areas. We look forward to delivering more high-quality homes that demonstrate our commitment to our customers and the Home Quality Mark’s key areas. Our vision is to be leaders in the construction of a sustainable future.”
Gwyn Roberts, Head of Housing and Policy at BRE, said: “Consumers need to be able to trust that BTR homes will work for them, their friends, families and the community around them. BRE’s authoritative Home Quality Mark certification process can give renters at Blackhorse Mills the reassurance that Legal & General and Galliford Try Partnerships has thought about these issues very carefully.”
