The awards recognise the Build to Rent schemes, operators and leasing team that gave prospective residents the best experience, judged on more than 700 mystery shopped viewings
New Vic by Homes by PIC has been named Best Scheme in the hereSAY Lead to Lease Awards 2026, with Homes by PIC taking Best Operator and Pall Mall Press by ila by Ridgeback Group winning Best Leasing Team. Sherlock Quarter by Get Living was runner-up for Best Scheme, and ila by Ridgeback Group and Moda Living were joint runners-up for Best Operator. The awards were presented at the Love to Rent Awards on Friday 23 October.
The awards are based entirely on hereSAY’s mystery shopping. Over the past year, its shoppers posed as prospective residents at 137 Build to Rent schemes across the UK and Ireland, following the full journey from the first enquiry to the viewing and the follow-up.
Best Scheme: New Vic, Homes by PIC. New Vic achieved the highest average total score of any scheme in the benchmark. Sherlock Quarter, Get Living, was runner-up.
Best Operator: Homes by PIC. Homes by PIC ranked first of all the operators in the benchmark, with ila by Ridgeback Group and Moda Living joint runners-up.
Best Leasing Team: Pall Mall Press, ila by Ridgeback Group. The team at Pall Mall Press delivered the highest viewing experience score of any scheme.
Esme Webb, Director of hereSAY and Research, said:
“Congratulations to New Vic, Homes by PIC and the team at Pall Mall Press, and to our runners-up Sherlock Quarter, ila by Ridgeback Group and Moda Living. What makes these awards special is that the winners never know they are being judged. Every score comes from a real enquiry and a real viewing, so they reflect exactly what a prospective resident experiences, from the first reply to the follow-up. Homes by PIC and ila by Ridgeback Group have shown what a consistently brilliant leasing journey looks like, and every team can learn from them.”
Debra Yudolph, Founder and CEO of SAY, said:
“Build to Rent has grown into a mature and competitive sector, and renters now have more choice than ever. In that market, the leasing experience is one of the clearest ways a scheme can stand out. Our winners and runners-up show what great looks like, and they are raising the bar for the whole sector.”
The awards accompany From Lead to Lease 2026, hereSAY’s annual Build to Rent mystery shopping benchmark, published today. The report finds that four in ten viewings leave prospects with a real objection, and that when they do, the share who can picture themselves living at the scheme falls from 87% to 57%.
The full report, including the top 10 schemes and top 5 operators of 2026, is free to download at
https://www.sayproperty.co.uk/reports/the-heresay-btr-lead-to-lease-report-2026