Healthy Homes
- 08th Dec 22
As the weather is still bleak, your home environment can make all the difference to your health, mindset, and happiness. A healthier you starts with a healthier home, which is why Build to Rent developers are utilising technology to create smart homes that offer mental and physical health benefits.
Renting and mental health
New research from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation explores the link between anxiety and renting, and clearly things must change. In the study, private renters were at least twice as likely as homeowners to report symptoms associated with anxiety. This led the Foundation to describe the private rental sector as ‘one of the greatest engines of insecurity in our time.’ One of the biggest problems for private renters is that they said they didn’t feel secure and safe because they had little control over their rental experience. The fact that they might be given a few weeks’ notice to find a new home was causing huge levels of stress. For Build to Rent customers, this has been completely dealt with by flexible tenancies, professional landlords and having complete control over how long they want to stay in the home.
Europe’s healthiest buildings
A third Moda development has been announced as one of Europe’s healthiest buildings. New York Square in Leeds has secured a three-star Fitwel certification, with this achievement meaning that the developer operator now has the highest number of top-level Fitwel certifications for residential buildings in the world. Other schemes to have achieved this are Moda, The McEwan in Edinburgh in June 2021 and Birmingham’s Moda, The Mercian in April 2022. This is also the first building in Leeds to achieve this.
What is Fitwel
Fitwel is the world's leading certification system committed to building health for all®. Generated by expert analysis of 5,600+ academic research studies, Fitwel is implementing a vision for a healthier future where all buildings and communities are enhanced to strengthen health and wellbeing.
Health, fitness, and wellbeing
Every element of the Moda development was created to embody the philosophy of health and wellbeing. Ensuring that healthy living is achievable for all residents is at the heart of the design, which includes having access to a 24/7 gym and a range of fitness classes and services from Moda partner Hero Wellbeing, which offers personal training and masterclasses on a range of wellness subjects including nutrition, mental health and sleep. Another partnership between Moda and home fitness app Fiit, also gives residents free access to the app’s more than 600 on-demand classes.
Smart homes promote health
The latest technology can have a profound effect on our living environments and Build to Rent developers are at the forefront of harnessing the data to change the way people rent. Moda can monitor humidity, temperature, light levels and air quality with environment sensors that have been installed by smart tech partner Utopi. Even noise pollution can be controlled with the walls’ sound proofing, which are five decibels above the required levels, providing a calm and quiet living environment.
The future of healthy homes
Build to Rent developers create homes where people choose to live and to encourage longer tenancies, they build communities that give residents the opportunity to live their healthiest and happiest life. The life/work balance is considered with many developments offering co-working spaces and bookable meeting rooms, understanding that being happy where you work is an integral part of establishing a healthy mindset. Looking to the future, there is a continuing focus on health and wellbeing, and it will be unacceptable for renters to consider a home that cannot offer this. As more people are likely to rent in the future, standards will continue to rise, and customers will have higher expectations of what they want.
Healthy home features to look out for
- Does the development have a gym or fitness classes.
- Are there any wellness activities such as yoga or sound baths.
- Can you attend social events to encourage friendship and community.
- Is the development pet-friendly? Dogs and cats are a great way of lowering stress levels and improving mental health.
- Are there staff on site to help with any problems or issues that may arise.
- Is there a concierge or security to make sure you feel safe in your home.
- Will you have full control over how long you want to live in the home with flexible tenancies.