Why Air Con is the ultimate UK home upgrade you didn’t know you needed

As a Malaysian, you are no stranger to air conditioning, so it might shock you to learn that whenever a summer heatwave hits the UK, locals spend days melting indoors, finding ways to cool down. Looking for a home in the UK with air conditioning installed will be a challenge for anyone.

New numbers from London estate agents Benham and Reeves show that a tiny 2% of all homes for sale in England have built-in air con. Even in London, it only goes up by 3%. And the truth is, British homes were historically built to trap heat and not just beat it.

But if you already own a UK property or are planning to buy, this shortage may just give you an advantage.

Spend minimum, Gain maximum

Investing in air conditioning isn’t just limited to those sticky, sleepless summer nights anymore; it is actually a brilliant financial move for you!

To put it simply, putting a single well-mounted unit in your house costs about £1,900. But due to the high demand, it can instantly bump your property’s value by 2.5%. On an average UK house, that is a £7,000 jump. This way, you are looking at an immediate £5,000 profit.

Additionally, if you decide to go all in and put units in four rooms, you could easily add over £20,000 in value to your home. It’s one of those unique home improvements where you get to enjoy the luxury now, and the house practically pays you back later.

Tenants are willingly happy to pay extra too

It’s not just the buyers who are hunting for a smooth breeze! For landlords, adding air conditioners is turning out to be a real game-changer as well! On average, rental properties with cooling units can fetch 15% more in rent. When the summer heat peaks, that premium can jump to a massive 20%.

Our Benham and Reeves director, Marc Von Grundherr, says this trend is entirely changing the property market on its head:

“We, in fact, had a tenant who was so desperate for air conditioning that they offered to pay for the installation out of their own pocket just to lock down a longer lease. Even property developers are changing how they invest. One of our clients won’t touch a building unless they know they can install an air conditioner. Out of 60 buildings they bought in Central London, the only five they haven’t been able to sell are the ones without it.”

Fortunately, developers are stepping up to meet the massive demand by integrating advanced comfort cooling systems into premier London residential developments. Prime opportunities currently on the market include Angel Village in Islington. Just 8 minutes’ walk from Angel Station and High Street, the development brings high-end modern comfort to a historic neighbourhood with prices starting from £584,000. For those looking for riverside living, The Edit in South Bank offers boutique, highly specified living spaces from £676,000, just a 5-minute walk to the River Thames.

Looking for homes in West London? White City Living offers extensive lifestyle amenities and integrated cooling, with the convenience of 2 tube stations within a 3-minute walk, as well as Imperial College White City campus and Westfield London just right next door. Prices at this development start from £745,000.

With UK summers only getting hotter, air conditioning is instantly moving from a luxury to an essential. For Malaysian investors looking to maximise both rental yields and resale value, the numbers speak for themselves. It’s one way to make your UK investment stand out from the crowd.

Ready to future-proof your UK property investment or find a tenant-ready home with premium comfort cooling? Contact our expert team at Benham and Reeves Malaysia today to discover the best available opportunities on the London market.