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Bartra Wealth Advisors have a limited number of final Irish Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) approved investment slots available, with a restricted quota and timeframe. These slots are open to clients who have an immediate intention to apply for the IIP. Contact us now to secure your opportunity.

Tag: Investment

Why social housing in Ireland became popular for investors

Posted on by bwa

When it comes to major types of real estate investment, the obvious contenders are residential property and commercial real estate. Therefore, it might come as a surprise that social housing has actually become one of the most popular investment options in Ireland in recent years.

Although it is difficult for individual investors to participate, there is the opportunity to participate in Bartra’s social housing projects through the Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP). At maturity of your three-year investment period, your total €1 million investment will be returned, along with Permanent Residency status for you and your family.

According to CBRE’s Ireland Bi-Monthly Research Report published in May 2021, the Irish social housing market continues to record large transactions, including the recent sale by Ardstone Capital of a portfolio of five multifamily and single-family assets for €450 million, and the acquisition of 39 units leased to Dublin City Council at Blackhall Street in Dublin 7 for €20 million. The report also noted that several annuity funds and impact funds are now specifically targeting opportunities in this sector, and the social housing market is expected to thrive going forward. So, why are so many institutional investors keen to invest in this sector?

Data published in November 2020 showed that there were 61,880 households on the housing list in Ireland, while only 9,028 social homes are currently onsite. The social housing supply falls far short of demand, not to mention that last year’s pandemic battered global construction sectors with Ireland being no exception. The likelihood is that the housing list is now considerably longer than the data published.

Ireland social housing delivery vs housing need

The undersupply of social housing did not happen overnight. A significant legacy of the 2008 financial crisis was substantial under-investment in Ireland’s real estate projects, causing the real estate supply to plummet.

Ireland’s economy has regained its momentum in recent years and maintained the highest economic growth rate in Europe for six consecutive years. Thousands of migrants are flooding into this new European financial centre, especially Dublin, and this has further encouraged a rise in rent and demand for private and social housing.

Long Term Social Housing Leasing Scheme

To accelerate social housing delivery, the Irish government has committed more than €6 billion under the “Rebuilding Ireland” campaign. Under Rebuilding Ireland, one of the targets is to deliver 50,000 social housing units by 2021, of which 33,500 units will be exclusively built as social housing, 6,500 units will be acquired from the market, and the remaining 10,000 units will be secured via lease agreements. In other words, the Irish government is encouraging property developers to build properties and lease them to the government.

Social housing_Rebuild Ireland

The standard leasing scheme offers a lease term of 10-25 years. The Irish government (the lessee) will pay 80-85% of an agreed market rent which will be reviewed every three years and is linked to the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP), an indicator of inflation harmonised across EU countries.

In 2018, the Irish government launched the Enhanced Long Term Social Housing Leasing Scheme as an addition to the existing leasing arrangements. The enhanced scheme offers a 25-year lease term with up to 95% of the agreed market rent, but in return, each proposal has to include a minimum of 20 property units, and the lessor (developer) is obliged to provide management services.

Bartra was interviewed on RTÉ One, Ireland’s national broadcaster about Government long term leasing of social housing

Backed by the Irish government, the leasing scheme provides high investment stability for social housing investment.

Bartra’s Social Housing Projects

As one of the leading developers in Ireland, Bartra is committed to providing high-quality social housing for families in need. All of our social housing projects are located in Dublin and are constructed by seasoned professionals including architects, planners, quantity surveyors, and construction companies. Majority of our projects will be leased to the Irish government for 25 years, therefore the income is guaranteed.

Social Housing Process

Bartra’s latest social housing development is Colmcille House, in Stoneybatter, Dublin 7. Completed in April 2021, the development is located in a prime area of Dublin, within walking distance of Smithfield LUAS stop, and offers a total of 23 apartments situated less than 2km from the city centre. It has wonderful views over the city. At Bartra, we believe that every resident deserves a high quality of life, so every unit in Colmcille House is beautifully designed and 15-20% larger than most apartments in the area.

Bartra’s complex in Stoneybatter was funded by the IIP

Contact us to learn more about our social housing projects and the IIP programme.

Premium nursing home care in Ireland – why you should invest in Bartra’s healthcare and nursing homes

Posted on by bwa

Nursing care is an in-demand sector worldwide. Driven by a rising ageing population, the global nursing care market is expected to grow to a value of more than $1,100 billion at an annual rate of 8.6% to 2022 according to a recent report from The Business Research Company.

Unlike assisted-living facilities, nursing homes are strictly regulated by the government in many countries and are built and managed by sophisticated institutions to a high standard to ensure the care and treatment of elderly people who may have physical health concerns and/or mental disabilities.

It is common to see that those living in nursing homes generally have more disability than people living at home. Over half of nursing home residents need help with three or more activities of daily living (ADLs) such as dressing and bathing. Those who are able to walk may still need assistance or supervision, and some may have difficulty hearing or seeing.

Nursing homes have changed dramatically over the past few decades. They increasingly offer medical services similar to those offered in hospitals after surgery, illness or sudden medical problems. The elderly need a higher level of care, particularly as hospital stays are shorter than they used to be. However, medical services vary a lot among nursing homes.

At Bartra, we take the issue of ageing seriously. We believe in “growing old with dignity”. Bartra Healthcare is on course to become the largest provider of quality healthcare in Ireland. Led by seasoned professional Declan Carlyle, Bartra’s Healthcare division delivers a nursing home portfolio with superior elderly care facilities designed to meet the Irish government’s highest standards as imposed by the Health Information Quality Authority (HIQA). In Bartra’s nursing home operations, our highly skilled and experienced care team is inculcating a culture of quality caregiving in all our facilities, ensuring a standard of care that recognises our residents’ needs for independence, choice dignity and respect, compassion and advocacy.

Watch our interview with Declan Carlyle, CEO of Bartra Healthcare’s CEO, and former CFO of Beaumont Hospital, to find out what makes our service exceptional.

We are proud that Bartra Healthcare is comprised of a group of premium quality nursing homes, each of which provides individualised care in a safe, friendly and comfortable environment where all of the needs of our residents are met. As Declan says, “Every single aspect of these homes has been designed with meticulous attention to detail.” Aside from top-class elderly care facilities, high quality beds and bed linen and hand-picked teams of professional and clinical staff, we also strive to bring tasty, wholesome food to residents that is well presented and appetising to the eye.

Eating and drinking are fundamental needs and consequently essential parts of nursing and nursing care. Encouraging older people in nursing homes to engage in mealtime activities can increase engagement in daily life and encourage more optimal health among older people. It’s more than simply a meal. Our team of highly skilled chefs has a deep understanding of diet, cooks with heart, and brings empathy and imagination to the table.

Learn more about our food philosophy in our interview with Executive Chef Andrew Dunne.

Strong track record of success

Bartra’s nursing homes are Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) qualified, with state-backed income, and meet the highest HIQA standards. Investors into our nursing home projects deploy €1 million for 5 years and receive 100% repayment upon maturity and a 20% return (4% per annum). Bartra has a strong pipeline of 825 nursing home beds, valued at €180 million.

Following the successful opening of our Northwood and Loughshinny nursing homes, Bartra’s third nursing home project, Beaumont Lodge was completed in October 2020, two months ahead of schedule and within budget despite the global pandemic and the challenges it presented. Beaumont Lodge is one of the Ireland’s largest nursing homes, featuring 221 single occupancy, ensuite bedrooms offering privacy for every elderly resident.

The building contains a large open plan area of 10,000 square meters, equivalent to the size of a football field, with three-storey overhanging areas supported on concrete beams and columns. Large ‘Winter Garden’ balconies were constructed on each floor to provide outdoor space. The development also offers 83 car parking spaces along with motorcycle and bicycle bays. Bartra teams provided civil, structural and traffic engineering services as well as design.

Beaumont Lodge

Beaumont Lodge, completed exterior and interior

Regarding nursing facilities, Beaumont will fully comply with the highest HIQA standards, accommodating some of the most advanced equipment to ensure high-tech and intelligent nursing services. Each room offers a separate shower room which ensures a private space. All beds can be easily raised and lowered, and the mattresses in each room are customised in consideration of body pressure distribution. Every room is equipped with an alarm system for daily needs or emergency assistance.

To find out how the development of Beaumont Lodge progressed from its beginnings in 2018, watch our construction video.

Beaumont is located in Dublin 5, close to Dublin Airport and within easy reach of Ireland’s most important traffic artery and busiest ring road, the M50. From this C-shaped highway, almost anywhere in Dublin can be accessed easily. Another important highway, the M1, which connects Dublin and Northern Ireland, is also nearby. The extensive transportation network around Beaumont is convenient for the elderly who reside there.

How does Bartra’s nursing home portfolio work?

With an ageing population, nursing homes are in high demand yet remain undersupplied in Ireland. The number of over 65-year-olds is expected to reach 16% of the total population, accounting for 860,600 people by 2026. This means the country will need 7,500 new nursing home beds in the system by then. However, little is expected to be built in the next few years, with just 1,144 beds due to be delivered.

To meet the required volume of units, reduce housing waiting lists and increase the delivery of much-needed infrastructure, collaboration between the public and private sectors is necessary. And since nursing homes qualify as essential infrastructure, institutional investors with long-term investment horizons are contributing to elderly care projects as part of their investment portfolios.

For more on the benefits of investing in nursing hones and healthcare (as well as social housing), read our article on Impact Investing with Bartra.

It is worth noting that, in Ireland, there is a financial support scheme available from the government for the cost of nursing home care. This scheme is called the Nursing Home Support Scheme, but It is better known as “The Fair Deal”. Under the Fair Deal Scheme, each bed in a nursing home receives a weekly subsidy from the government (the subsidy standard is determined by the National Treatment Purchase Fund). As such, investing in nursing home projects is safe and unaffected by market movements due to its state-backed income stream, many institutional investors with a long-term investment horizon have contributed to elderly care as part of their investment portfolios.

Investments in and acquisitions of nursing home projects in Ireland to date include:

Care Choice Group, Munster (5 Nursing Homes) and Dublin (1 Nursing Home): Infra Via acquired Care Choice for €70m (comprising 503 beds, the majority of which are located in Munster, with four sites located in the Greater Dublin Area).

The Beechfield Group, Dublin (3 Nursing Homes): German-based IMMAC Group entered the Irish nursing home sector with the €33m acquisition of the Beechfield Care Group, incorporating Beechfield Manor Nursing Home, Glengara Park Nursing Home and Mount Hybla Nursing Home as well as the Beechfield Private Homecare service.

TCL Group (Ireland) (4 Nursing Homes and 1 site): TLC is a provider of retirement care services based in Dublin, Ireland. The company specialises in luxury nursing homes for elderly people. It has been reported that the sale price of TLC Nursing Homes portfolio would exceed €150m for 4 Nursing Homes, comprising 674 beds (Santry, Cara Care, Maynooth, Citywest and Carton nursing homes) and a site in Ireland.

Bartra is a leading nursing homes developer in the healthcare sector in Ireland. We source, build and manage our projects from start to finish. The chart below explains our project development and exit process.

Nursing Home Process

At Bartra, we build communities for life where everyone can contribute. We create environments and services in which people are valued, included and respected. And we put great emphasis on facilitating and encouraging residents to continue to pursue their hobbies and interests while living in our nursing homes.

2020 Review: Recognising Accomplishments in an Unprecedented Year

Posted on by bwa

2020 has been a challenging year. It has forced people to adapt to a new reality. But at Bartra, we remain optimistic. We have seen our teams thrive on change. And our ever-present desire and drive to share ideas, to collaborate, create and innovate, and to continue making progress, is undeniable. This year has not altered our fundamental belief that great investments require three things: great locations, great people, and the right opportunities. Bartra prides itself on consistently delivering all three for clients and investors and we are grateful that we have been able to help many of our clients achieve their goals, while also being recognised by the industry for our efforts.

As another year comes to a close and we look to the year ahead, we would like to share some of our achievements and to thank everyone – clients, business partners and our staff – for contributing to our strength and success.

Accomplishments: 

  • 2 IIP project completions (Northwood, Beaumont)
  • Close to 100 IIP applications
  • 4 awards

A little throwback to Bartra’s highlights from the last 12 months.

January

Co-living

James-02

“I am proud that the ISIF has invested in our business. This is testament to both the quality of Bartra’s projects and the expertise of the personnel putting those projects together. Our development projects support local housing requirements: co-living projects offer accommodation for young professionals; nursing homes provide critically needed care for the elderly and vulnerable; social housing caters to those on housing lists. As the investment immigration arm of Bartra Group, with offices in Hong Kong and multiple cities across Mainland China, Bartra Wealth Advisors has seen increased demand for investment in the social housing and healthcare sectors, with international investors keen to acquire these government-backed asset types. We offer investors direct access to our social housing and nursing home projects, which are good, safe investment opportunities that support the local community and are also IIP-qualifying for obtaining Irish residency.”

James Hartshorn, CEO and Co-founder of Bartra Wealth Advisors.

February

Northwood Nursing Home

  • Northwood Phase II, Bartra’s Nursing Home project, completed on time and within budget.
  • The year’s first batch of Stamp 4 visas arrived on 14 February as a Valentine’s Day gift for our clients.

March / April

May

Healthcare CEO

  • Declan Carlyle was appointed CEO of Bartra Healthcare.
  • Bartra received renewal approvals for applicants from January and February, with a 100% success rate.
  • Clients who invested in our Social Housing project phase II and received pre-approval in April were granted Stamp 4 visas.

June / July

Poplar Row

August / September 

October

HK PR

  • Bartra held its first press conference in Hong Kong, which saw more than 30 news platforms report on Bartra over two days.
  • Jeffrey Ling, Hong Kong Regional Manager, was featured on Apple Daily’s news and video platforms, and hosted a webinar with a tax partner to discuss Ireland immigration.
  • Bartra won Uglobal Immigration Magazine’s Top 25 Developers Award.
  • Bartra received 50 applications from Hong Kong clients.

November

November2020

December

  • Bartra Homes launched a new luxury residential project, Glensavage, Blackrock, comprised of 8 contemporary homes and 14 apartments.
  • Bartra secured planning permission for our €25 million co-living scheme on Merrion Road.
  • Bartra was named Innovator of the Year – Real Estate at the HKB Management Excellence Awards.

In the past year, Ireland has ranked among the best-performing economies in the western world, with GDP growth of 3.4% (ESRI). Looking ahead, export-driven growth of 5.3% in 2021 is forecast (Ibec).

With regard to the IIP, we believe that interest in the programme will steadily increase as businesses and affluent individuals recognise the personal and professional advantages of maintaining a foothold in Europe. We foresee strong demand from China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, India and the UAE, as well as interest from South Africa, Canada and the UK.

As a company, we are excited to welcome 2021 and will continue to deliver our world-class services and products to investors and clients. In the spirit of the tagline of our Immigration Insight video series – Joy of Living – we’d like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a joyous, prosperous and healthy New Year!

Impact Investing – The potential of Social Housing and Nursing Homes in Ireland

Posted on by bwa

Social Housing and Nursing Home markets

Not just in Hong Kong, but everywhere else in the world, we see a high demand for and a shortage in Social Housing and Nursing Homes. This puts a lot of pressure on the government and the people, but it means there are great potentials in these projects.

Beaumont Lodge Nursing Home 5

Beaumont, our biggest nursing home project to date, has just finished construction ahead of schedule and will now enter the HIQA inspection phase.

The fact is, the investment in these markets have well been the trend in Europe and the UK. This is because they receive guaranteed long-term secure income streams from a local authority or an Approved Housing Body. This makes it particularly appealing to institutional investors and pension funds, as investors get to enjoy long-term leases with little or no day-to-day management, repair, or maintenance responsibility.

Such growth is seen in the Social Housing market in Ireland and is reflected in the CBRE Group report for the past six months. In Ireland, there are a total of 68,693 households waiting to be housed. However, no more than 15,000 are likely to be developed in 2020.

CBRE Social Housing 2019

With its ageing population, the undersupplied Nursing Homes are also seeing strong demands in Ireland. The percentage of over 65-year-olds is expected to reach 16% of the total population, accounting for 860,600 people. This means the country will need 7,500 new nursing home beds in the system by 2020. However, very little is expected to be built in the next few years, resulting in only the 1,144 beds which are currently on site.

To meet the required volume of units and to reduce the housing waiting lists, the collaboration between the public and the private sector to increase the delivery of much-needed Public Housing and Nursing homes is essential.

The role of our Irish Immigrant Investor Programme

As a developer who has successfully carried out many social housing and nursing home projects, we offer these projects as the Enterprise Investment route for families who are considering immigration to Ireland under our Irish Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP). Our extensive Irish immigration experience and expertise in the investment field, as well as our strong business network of partners, have allowed us to maintain an application approval rate of 100% and a 100% renewal rate.

Loughshinny Nursing Home

Applying for Irish residency via IIP is very straightforward, with short processing times and no quotas. Investment in Nursing Homes, in particular, offers Hong Kong investors capital protection with a potential profitable return. We offer a five-year term with a 4% annual return for Nursing Home investments. More importantly, we offer end-to-end services, so you can be sure that your investment and your family’s future is in safe hands all the way through the process.

Why Bartra?

We at Bartra only market investments where we have already purchased the site. All of our projects are located in Dublin, the area of highest investor demand, and long term value. We only use high-quality design team members including architects, planners, quantity surveyors, and construction companies. All our projects are fully cost by independent third parties prior to being marketed to IIP applicants. The investments are structured so that there is a clear alignment of interest between investors and Bartra, that the projects are only profitable for Bartra if they are first sold and investors are repaid.

Bartra Group already has a pipeline of 435 Social Homes with a value in excess of €130 million at the moment. We are planning to construct more than 1200 homes in the next 5 years. Our Social Housing project at Poplar Row has just signed a 25-year Enhanced Lease with the government. At a 0.14 hectare size with 39 apartments, the construction started in June 2020 and is progressing on time. Our other Social Housing projects are also debt funded by various companies. Bartra Group also has a pipeline of 823 Nursing Home beds and plans to run over 1,000 beds in the next 5 years. One of our projects, the Loughshinny Nursing Home Development, has been completed and was opened in summer 2019 with residents moving in. It has also shown full compliance across all areas in the HIQA report, which is hard to achieve. Also, our Northwood project has officially opened in late May this year, with occupants moved in.

Fast becoming one of the largest providers of Social Housing and Nursing Homes in Ireland, our available IIP project slots are filling up quickly. Speak with one of our expert advisors to find out more about Bartra Wealth Advisors and our projects by completing the form below, and see how you can be a part of our projects.

 

 

The safest investment – Hong Kong iBond 2020 vs The Immigrant Investor Programme

Posted on by bwa

The announcement of the latest iBond, which is the seventh series issued since 2011, is open for subscription at 9 am on October 23, 2020. The three-year-long, HK$10 billion worth bonds promises to provide a steady source of income for everyday investors, but there are always alternatives among the safe investments. We know an investment option that offers not only an almost guaranteed rate of return but also a world-class permanent residency.

What are we talking about?

In short, the iBond is an inflation-linked retail bond released by the HKSAR Government under the retail bond issuance programme of the Government Bond Programme. Offered at a minimum denomination of HK$10,000, the HKSAR Government will repay 100% of the principal amount at maturity, along with generating half-yearly interest payments which are based on the Composite Consumer Price Index. The guaranteed minimum payment is at 2%.

If you are investing based on the appeal of a safe and regular return, investing in iBond is sensible. However, if you are aiming for more, the Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) can be a promising alternative.

The Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) offers the applicant a secure residency status in Ireland through an approved investment. Depending on the choice of project, whereby we offer government-backed Nursing Home and Social Housing projects under the Enterprise Investment route, the applicant will receive their full investment of €1 million and 4% interest per year if they were to choose to invest in our Nursing Home projects. This means, at the maturity of the five-year investment period, the applicant will get an extra €200,000 tax-free, on top of their €1 million investment, as well as a STAMP 4 identity in Ireland.

Nursing Home and Social Housing

How do you invest in them?

The iBond subscription period will start from 9 am October 23 to 2 pm, November 5. Applications can be done via placing banks, securities brokers, or the Hong Kong Securities Clearing Company Limited. If the total application amount is under HK$15 billion, all eligible applicants will be satisfied. However, if the total application amount is over HK$15 billion, the iBond will be allotted by lottery, where each chosen applicant only gets one hand of bonds. The iBond will then be issued on November 16 and be listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong on November 17. The trading of it in secondary markets can happen after.

On the other hand, the IIP is open for application at any time of the year and the process is very simple.

There are just four key steps to the IIP process:

  • Application
  • Approval
  • Investment
  • Receive residency

What is particularly attractive about this programme is that the investment is placed after receiving the approval letter. Not to mention, both of the assets of Social Housing and Nursing Home projects derive their income directly from the Irish State, making it a very safe investment for our investors.

Why should you care?

Both the iBond and the IIP are stable investments that offer promising investment returns. But as the intention to immigrate has spiked in recent years, being able to obtain a residency on top of an investment can be very appealing.

Dublin

Ireland is an emerging emigrant destination for Hong Kong people. As the only English-speaking member of the European Union, Ireland is a gateway to both the UK and European countries, offering a great education system and enjoys one of the lowest corporate tax rates in Europe, increasing its appeal as a regional business hub for multinational corporations.

The time for getting approval for the IIP is only 4-6 months. There are no language requirements and the residency requirement is just one day per year, meaning that the applicant can obtain residency without moving. 

The choice is yours

iBongHK and IIP Eng_Text enlarged

Of course, you should assess all the aspects of every investment you make, and there will definitely be variables that may change your mind. For example, the biggest barrier to the IIP is that the applicant is required to have €2 million net wealth. While we are able to offer investors a 4% annual investment return on their €1 million investment for 5 years, the iBond has historically exceeded the 2% minimum return, where their highest interest rate offered was 6.08% in 2011.

This is why we’re here. To find out more about IIP, how it works, what the benefits are, and how you can apply, speak with one of our expert advisors! Or simply complete the form below to download your IIP brochure.