On Monday 16th September 2019, build-to-rent specialists were invited to the UKAA’s ‘Optimising leisure facilities in residential and BTR’ roundtable in Manchester. The interactive session was presented by Rob Clarke, Head of Operations of Motiv8, and hosted by Shoosmiths.

1. MA NCHESTER
OPTIMISING LEISURE FACILITIES IN RESIDENTIAL BTR.
UK A A ROUNDTABLE Shaping the Future of Build-to-Rent

2. UKAA
RoundtableOn Monday 16th September 2019, build-to-rent specialists were invited to
the UKAA’s ‘Optimising leisure facilities in residential and BTR’ roundtable
in Manchester.The interactive session was presented by Rob Clarke, Head of
Operations of Motiv8, and hosted by Shoosmiths.

3. The aim of the roundtable was to educate UKAA and ARMA members
on the importance and detail that goes into managing gyms, pools
and other leisure facilities within the residential and Build to Rent
sector. Members were encouraged to share their own experiences,
highlighting any problems that may have arisen and how they
resolved them. The key themes of the discussion were based around
exploring leisure facilities within build-to-rent schemes and why they
are a strong tool for attracting and retaining residents.
Use of Technology to optimise leisure spaces in residential and
Build To Rent
In a recent survey conducted by Motiv8, results have revealed that
63% of 18-44-year olds use their smartphones to track their fitness,
steps and nutrition. The demand for technology is rapidly increasing
across the country and the innovation is non-stop, with new creations
enabling BTR operators to engage with their residents and create the
communities they are aiming for.
This growing trend should be embraced in the build-to-rent sector,
says Clarke, and states that it can be done easily. An example of
this is the new wrist band invention which allows users to link to gym
equipment and modify the functionality to their pre-saved settings
(such as weight and seat position). Not only is this feature convenient,
but it also comes with an array of health and fitness benefits as it
advises users on what they should be working on and their personal
limits.
It was noted that the leading manufacturer in the UK is ‘Technogym’
which has created ‘Technogym Moves’, a fitness tracker for in and
out of a facility with links (via QR codes) to machines to find exercises

4. that suit users’ needs. The reason why this is a great brand for BTR gyms
is because it provides a feature that creates a community of residents via
a leader board. An alternative is ‘myzone’ which currently isn’t as common
within residential due to its cost, however, its features are more advanced.
Virtual studios
Members were told that virtual studios are cost-effective to install and very
easy to run, however, they should not be used to replace a personal trainer
but instead, should be seen as an additional benefit to residents and another
way to form a community.
An example of a virtual class is ‘stages flight’ which is a group cycling class
that encourages attendees to compete and track their performance against
their own pre-set goals. Another example is ‘skillrow class’, a rowing class
done in teams of four – another effective way to form a community.
Cost Comparisons of two schemes: purchase and lease costs on gym
equipment
To help members of the roundtable visualise the cost, Clarke presented two
differing projects:
“The ability to make fractional use of a space needs to be done in an
efficient and time and cost-effective way for BTR”
David Butler, CEO of UKAA
Project A - 120 apartments Project B - 336 apartments
£40,000
£571/sqm
£85,000
£653/sqm
£870/month
£7.25/apt/month
£1850/month
£5.50/apt/month

5. Heat Experience Costs (utilities only)
Units Number of Cabins Cost per Unit/Month
100 2 £4.01
200 2 £2.01
300 2 £1.34
400 2 £1.00
500 2 £0.80
750 3 £0.80
1000 3 ££0.60
1500 4 £0.54
*Based on rates of 0.12kwh with 12kwh heater & 45% adjustment with
16 hours operation
Operating a leisure space without a specialist leisure
management company
Clarke explains that if operators decide to run a leisure facility without
a management company, there are things they need to be aware,
including some of the pitfalls.
Many insurers prefer operators to carry out health and safety
inductions. Clarke expresses that this is fine to do in-house, however,
the person delivering the induction, must be qualified. Access controls,
especially for swimming pools, are very important. It is advised that
access controls are reset annually so that it is easier to monitor who
has participated in an induction. This is due to this usually being a fob
which residents have the freedom to share and pass to others, making
it harder to stay up to date with completed inductions.
Clarke goes onto advising members to carry out pool tests around
every four hours if they do not have a management company. Having
a leisure management company in place will enable them to carry
out gym and pool checks every week, enabling them to be proactive
rather than reactive after residents have found a fault.
It is crucial for operators to know their region’s/council’s licence
agreements as it will dictate when checks have to be carried out. For
example, some areas in London require sauna and steam room
checks every thirty minutes, whereas in Manchester, operators do not
need to have a licence. Other insurance items and licences operators
need to be aware of is music licencing (PRS), room/class bookings
and tv.
Compliance
During this topic, Clarke highlighted the documents that BTR operators
need to be made aware of:
• HSG179 - Managing H&S in Swimming Pools;
• BS EN 15288-2 2008 - Swimming Pools Operation; and
• HSG282 - Control of Legionella in Spa Pools PWTAG- Pool Water
Treatment Advisory Group.

6. Operating and maintenance of pools
Clarke moves onto talking about swimming pool safety and what
needs to be factored in not only for design purposes, but also
operationally. Clarke states that access controls are paramount
as it keeps children safe so that they are not allowed to enter
unaccompanied. This led the conversation to discussing the necessity
of having rescue equipment on display – especially if there isn’t a
lifeguard present. Clarke advises that onsite staff (e.g. concierge)
have full access to alarms and CCTV and are listening/watching so
that they are able to respond/take action immediately. It is also very
important to have signage with rules displayed and to inform residents
if there isn’t a lifeguard onsite.
Q&A
The roundtable discussion lasted two hours and ended with a Q&A
led by the members. One member asked if there is a market for
nutritionists to attend BTR schemes and advise residents on eating
habits. Clarke explained that it’s still not mainstream but it is swaying
towards it, however, it’s still not up there with well-being and fitness.
This question led to an idea whereby schemes open a dedicated
space that morphs into multiple uses (e.g. from meeting rooms to bars
to co working).
Clarke suggested that residential gyms can also help retain
residents when it comes to renewing their tenancy agreement. He
later expanded on this and promoted opening leisure facilities to the
general public as an additional income stream. One attendee argued
that opening to the public will require a larger space to ensure that
there are facilities such as changing rooms and was concerned that
the space would be taken from the gym. Rob concluded that if you’re
going build a gym within the scheme, you need to do it well, invest big
and manage it effectively.
It was agreed that residential gyms are designed to attract the majority
of people but not all – especially if people are wanting to specialise
in something (i.e. if someone wanted kickboxing, they’d go to a
dedicated boxing gym). Clarke suggested that a gym should be
changed every five years to keep-up with new trends and ensure
equipment lasts (quality and functionality).

7. A few attendees raised the concern of having extra expenses if they
had to factor in a leisure management company. Clarke clarified
that this isn’t a necessity but there should be processes in place
and training undertaken to ensure legal standards are met. He
stressed that plant rooms should be locked so it gives the third-party
management company full control so nothing is incorrectly configured
but if it is being looked after in-house, they should be qualified.
Clarke went onto explaining the routine checks that had to be done
which highlighted the advantages of outsourcing leisure facilities
management; someone must hoover the bottom of the pool at the end
of the night and backwash it weekly to ensure they clean all debris.
If the footfall of the pool is greater than usual, this must be done more
frequently. It was also advised that pool preventative maintenance was
carried out every three to five years.
The roundtable discussion ended with Clarke reciting the risks of
not employing a leisure management company but showcasing
a few solutions including new technology that allows the operator
to put controls into place. An example of this is new anti-drowning
facilities such as children’s wrist bands and pool cameras which track
movement in order to prevent drowning.

8. MA NCHESTER
OPTIMISING LEISURE FACILITIES IN RESIDENTIAL BTR.
UK A A ROUNDTABLE Shaping the Future of Build-to-Rent