Multi-occupancy valve specification: What you need to know
As multi-occupancy buildings become more popular, RWC’s Technical Sales Engineer Lee Halstead, explores the role of Tenant Valves in creating efficient, reliable and easy-to-maintain plumbing systems.
Multi-occupancy buildings are part of the fabric of towns and cities right across the country. Figures recently released by the National House Building Council (NHBC), show that 16,631 new apartment homes were registered for construction in the UK in 2025, and approximately 22,000 new build-to-rent homes were completed last year.
Alongside the delivery of new homes through multi-occupancy developments, student accommodation is also on the rise through similar developments. It is estimated that almost £50bn has been invested into the sector for the next 18 months, with the aim of broadening demographic reach from first year to later years and postgraduate students.
As with any residential property, plumbing systems are an essential consideration for specifiers. With high-rise, multi-occupancy developments becoming a major contributor to new housing, plumbing systems must also evolve to ensure reliability and efficiency for every home. To ensure this long-term performance, maintenance must be a key consideration in valve specification.
The importance of valves
The value of valves in multi-occupancy buildings cannot be overlooked. By controlling water throughout a building, effective valve specification ensures the performance needed for modern homes, so every outlet and every appliance is capable of delivering for occupants.
When it comes to high-rise multi-occupancy buildings, plumbing is complex. Alongside the need to deliver for occupants, water regulation requirements must also be met, requiring solutions such as double check valves as standard to ensure backflow prevention. Pressure Reducing Valves (PRVs), responsible for controlling the typically high pressures at the point of entry to deliver water pressures that are safe and effective across the system, are also essential due to the high demand on the system requiring a high pressure to deliver sufficient supply.
For reduced specification complexity, simple and quick installations, and enhanced quality on projects, the Reliance Valves next-generation Tenant Valve Advance is an all-in-one valve that combines the functionality of a water meter carrier port for usage monitoring or billing. With a ball-type lever valve, double check valve and PRV with in-line strainer, it delivers reliability and space-saving benefits for multi-occupancy plumbing specifications.
Future thinking: easing maintenance
While specifying an all-in-one valve has its clear benefits at the point of installation, it can also contribute to enhanced long-term performance by simplifying future maintenance.
As with any plumbing system, maintenance is essential to maintain optimum performance and efficiency. Valves are no different, and their effective maintenance will ensure greater reliability for every occupant. With functionality forming a critical part of its design, the Tenant Valve Advance has several features to support easy maintenance.
Firstly, the all-in-one valve is fully serviceable from the front, allowing professionals to carry out routine maintenance without the need to remove the valve. With spares widely available, components can be easily replaced when necessary, extending service life without needing to replace the entire valve.
Alongside built-in performance, an integrated insulated cover supports compliance with installation requirements, minimising heat loss and optimising overall performance. While insulating valves is notoriously tricky due to their shape and size, the bespoke cover is simple to install and remove. It also insulates the connection point for the water meter if installed into the valve body, using an additional insulation ring.
Shifting specifications for modern construction
As high-rise multi-occupancy buildings represent a significant proportion of new construction projects, particularly in major cities, plumbing specification must evolve to reflect the requirements of these large-scale buildings.
Where valves are concerned, specifiers have the opportunity to simplify aspects of plumbing systems to elevate levels of quality, performance and efficiency, alongside easing future maintenance requirements to ensure the longevity of systems.
From build-to-rent residential properties and student accommodation through to hotels and even commercial spaces, all-in-one valves such as the Tenant Valve Advance represent the future of valve specification.
In our brand-new eGuide, we explore how valves simplify future maintenance, providing installers with a complete guide to getting multi-occupancy plumbing and heating right.
Download your free copy here: https://www.reliancevalves.com/gb/en/resources/e-guides/mo-guide
