Speakers at 2021 Property Investment Outlook 2021, an online event organised by Property Forum, have indicated unbroken market optimism. From living investments through the retail market to the office segment, participants in panel discussions expected positive changes and further growth in the CEE property market.

Multifamily investment has proven to be the most resilient real estate sector in Europe during 2020 and the new core, with a 6% increase year on year and a 17% increase on the past 5-year average, according to Savills.

Swedish company Heimstaden, the third-largest provider of rental housing in Europe, continues its investments in housing in the Czech Republic. The company, which bought Residomo with 42,500 apartments mainly in the Moravian-Silesian Region last year, is now expanding its portfolio with a €22.7 million acquisition in Plzeň from Czech developer Daramis.  The new assets include 226 flats and 5 non-residential premises.

Some of the most mature PRS markets in Europe are Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the Nordics. The Polish PRS market is still in its infancy, but more and more players are declaring their willingness to build portfolios of thousands of rental apartments in Poland. Experts of Cushman & Wakefield present an outlook for the PRS growth in Poland.

The development of the Private Rental Sector (PRS) in Poland could have been faster, but it is constantly being slowed down by high demand in the residential market. Developers are not interested in selling the whole building to investment funds, because margins and profits are bigger with sales to individual buyers. However, their faith in high returns and great growth potential of Polish rental market is shared also by developers, which are constantly coping with a lack of good plots permitted for residential development in spatial plans. And buildings with services, like senior and student housing or apartments to rent as a service can be constructed almost everywhere.

Cordia International Zrt. has acquired UK developer Blackswan. Cordia financed the transaction by using funds collected from the bond issuance under National Bank of Hungary’s Bond Funding for Growth Scheme. The acquisition allows Blackswan to deliver a £550 million project pipeline across the West Midlands

International investor Aurec Capital has expanded its portfolio in the private rented sector (PRS) in Poland. The transaction of the Puławska 186 project completed between Aurec Capital Poland and Matexi Polska is worth over €22 million (PLN 100 million). JLL advised the investor on the purchase of the property.

Cordia International is continuing its international expansion. Following Romania, Poland and Spain, the developer is entering the German rental housing market through the acquisition of a 20.6% stake in ARGO Properties N.V. for €34.4 million.

Atrium European Real Estate published its financial results for 2019 and announced that the Board and management had been undertaking a strategic review to identify further growth opportunities to deliver strong, long term sustainable income returns to shareholders. The strategic review focused on, amongst other things, leveraging the operating platform in Poland and the Czech Republic and diversification into other classes of real estate, focusing on residential-for-rent