The Return: Property & Investment Podcast
By Anna Clare Harper
The Return: Property & Investment PodcastMay 24, 2018
Social and sustainable housing with Jon Daley, Head of Sustainability at G2M and Anna Clare Harper
I caught up with my friend Jon Daley, who I (not very) jokingly refer to as ‘the Martin Lewis of social and sustainable housing’ because he knows so much about these socially critical topics. He’s also Head of Sustainability at Asset Manager G2M.
For context, Jon and I agree on a lot of things, including that the value of ideas shared increases exponentially, and that collective effort beyond building design is essential for achieving the environmental and social outcomes needed in UK housing pre-2050.
Topics we covered on the pod included:
What is needed in order to upgrade the huge proportion (80%) of UK homes that we use in 2050 which already exist
Navigating key regulatory changes, standards and bodies from Rental Reform to COP to the UK Green Finance Strategy to ISSB
Navigating funding opportunities such as ECO and the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jondaley88/
Guest website: https://g2mgroup.co.uk/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/
Sustainable Investing with Co-Founder & Co-CEO of pioneer Bridges Fund Management, Michele Giddens OBE and Anna Clare Harper
If you work in sustainable investing, you probably already know the ‘Bridges Spectrum of Capital’.
I discovered and loved it when I was researching my book on Sustainable Residential Investing, so I was especially excited to chat with Michele Giddens OBE, Co-CEO of Bridges Fund Management, which she Co-Founded alongside Philip Newborough and Sir Ronald Cohen - who gets described as "the father of British venture capital".
Michele has 30 years experience in sustainable investing and international development finance, from chairing the Community Development Finance Association, the UK National Advisory Board on Impact Investing, and a Global Working Group on Policy for the G7 Impact Investment Taskforce to running pioneer Bridges Fund Management. So she is the perfect guest to talk about sustainable investing, pioneering new strategies and making financial and social returns from retrofit.
We covered:
The thesis behind Bridges and the Spectrum of Capital which ‘went a bit viral’ !
How to pioneer: what we can learn from prolific pioneers about the process of bringing innovative ideas to market, for example carbon optioneering
How to create attractive financial returns alongside social and environmental impacts in Article 9 funds
Example investments such as retrofitting an old vinyl factory with cross-laminated timber to the material health benefits for residents from assisted living schemes
Guest website: https://www.bridgesfundmanagement.com/
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michele-giddens-ab6b63145/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/
How to change housing policy with Ian Fletcher, Director of Policy at the British Property Federation and Anna Clare Harper
I chatted to Ian Fletcher, Director of Policy at the British Property Federation about how to influence housing policy.
I found it fascinating to hear about:
The latest on hot topics like Renters Reform Leasehold Reform and the up-coming election
How policy-making actually works, from consultations with Civil Servants to lobbying Members of Parliament
What next for housing policy
Guest website: https://bpf.org.uk/
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-fletcher-15a57341
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: GreenResi.com
Getting deals done with Deepa Deb, Head of International Real Estate Investment at law firm Watson Farley & Williams and Anna Clare Harper
Deepa Deb is Head of International Real Estate Investment at law firm Watson Farley & Williams, with accolades including regularly being ranked in Chambers & Partners as a leading lawyer in real estate and being rated as one of the Hot 100 most influential lawyers (The Lawyer).
We chatted on the podcast about:
What innovations (in particular the use of AI) can improve efficiency and reliability of legal work in transactions
What UK residential can learn from other parts of real estate and from other countries about transactions
Career advice for aspiring lawyers
Guest website: https://www.wfw.com/
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepa-deb/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/
Retail, real estate and Build to Rent with Katherine Russell, Director of Build to Rent at the John Lewis Partnership and Anna Clare Harper
I had the chance to chat with Katherine Russell, Director of Build to Rent at the John Lewis Partnership about retail, real estate and Build to Rent.
Topics included:
The journey that the John Lewis Partnership - better known for homewares than housing - has been on with real estate generally, and residential property specifically, from owning ‘tops above shops’ to Build to Rent
Lessons learned through John Lewis’s Real Estate Portfolio, the New West End Company’s (a partnership of 600 West End-based businesses) Advisory Board and Dolphin Living (an independent charity with an endowment of £120m to provide affordable homes for Londoners)
What next for Build to Rent and the UK Private Rental Sector
Guest website: https://www.jlpjobs.com/
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-russell-simmonds-73206933/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/
Unlocking responsible UK Residential investment at scale with Anna Clare Harper, CEO of GreenResi
My good friend Andrew Teacher grilled me in my capacity as CEO of GreenResi on unlocking responsible UK residential investment at scale.
Topics include:
The residential market opportunity: scale, growing income and resilience underpinned by demographics
How to deploy rapidly at scale: acquiring granular existing rentals for faster, less risky, less carbon intensive access to residential vs Build to Rent
How processes can be optimised to improve efficiency and reliability throughout the deal lifecycle
Anna Clare Harper LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Anna Clare Harper website: https://www.greenresi.com/
Andrew Teacher website: https://montfort.london/
Andrew Teacher LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewteacher/
Residential for rent with Cath Webster, CEO of Thriving Investments, the fund manager with a social conscience backed by the UK's leading Social Enterprise
I loved chatting to Cath Webster, CEO of Thriving Investments, the fund manager with a social conscience backed by Places for People, the UK's leading Social Enterprise which owns or manages over 240,000 homes for 500,000 Customers across the UK.
We covered:
The different segments in residential such as Affordable Rented, Social Rented and Private Rented
How Build to Rent has evolved, from ‘Gen1’ to today, including the rise and fall of amenities
Investment yield valuations, why liquidity is so low in Build to Rent and what this means for BtR players.
Guest website: https://www.thrivinginvestments.co.uk/
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/526783/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/
What next for Living Capital? With Simon Scott, Lead Director, Living Capital Markets UK at JLL
I chatted to Simon Scott, Lead Director, Living Capital Markets UK at the second largest global property advisor, JLL, about the future of ‘living capital’ (which is essentially the institutionally-funded segment of the real estate market which people live in).
Topics include:
What we can learn from 2023 around the resilience of residential investment
Factors influencing investment valuations, from fire safety to operating companies
Will 2024 be the worst year yet for new housing developments?
Guest website: https://www.jll.co.uk/
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-scott-151a2669/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: GreenResi.com
Private Rental Sector trends with Anna Clare Harper, CEO of GreenResi
It’s been a while since I didn’t have a high powered guest on the podcast, and a lot has been happening in the market and in my world.
So this week, I thought I’d take the opportunity to share some of that (read: talk to myself!), answering some of the questions I get asked frequently about the market and my business.
Topics include:
Key social, environmental and investor trends in the UK Private Rental Sector
Developing tools to scale, including acquisition pipeline management and portfolio monitoring
The difference between Build to Rent, seen as ‘good’ and buy-to-let, seen as ‘bad’ in terms of management infrastructure (processes, systems, budgets, externalities etc)
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: www.GreenResi.com
How partnerships, innovation & ‘insetting’ help achieve more sustainable investment outcomes with Jessica Pilz, Head of Sustainable Investing at £90bn Asset Manager, Fiera Capital & Anna Clare Harper
I had the chance to chat with Jessica Pilz, Head of Sustainable Investing at £90bn Asset Manager, Fiera Capital.
Topics included:
How to integrate Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) considerations into commercial investment decisions, and when to say no to attractive financial returns
Innovation and ‘insetting’ instead of offsetting
How to use partnerships to address complex environmental and social challenges whilst achieving commercial success
Guest website: https://www.fieracapital.com/en
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-pilz-483b1b1b/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/
How institutional real estate investors respond to change with Emma Long, Head of Business Strategy, LGIM Real Assets Equity and Anna Clare Harper
I chatted with Emma Long, Head of Business Strategy, Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM) Real Assets Equity about how one of the largest asset managers in Europe, with global Assets under Management of £1.2 trillion, makes sound investment decisions and adapts to market changes.
Topics include:
The implications of a changing investor landscape with Direct Benefit pensions buyouts and Direct Contribution pensions growth
How asset management is increasingly about customer (occupier) engagement not just assets, and what this means
What asset managers look for including investment strategies that work based on long term thematics or market timing/mispricing, alpha or unique access/expertise and scale
LGIM’s Social Value Framework and Net Zero Carbon Roadmap progress
Guest website: https://www.lgim.com/
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-long-906a785/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/
ESG Investing in Alternative & Operational Real Estate With Sadie Malim, Head of ESG and Legal at Moorfield, a £3.9bn specialist investor and Anna Clare Harper
I had a wonderful chat with Sadie Malim, Head of ESG and Legal at Moorfield, a £3.9bn specialist investor, on the podcast.
Key topics included:
The democratisation of real estate
What ‘alternative’ and ‘operational’ really mean (when UK residential is 8 x larger than UK commercial property and 4 x larger than the FTSE 100!)
Advice for investors exploring ESG integration in residential to rent
Real life examples of the most exciting alternative real estate strategies including self-storage and single family rental, and critical lessons learned.
Guest website: https://www.moorfield.com/
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sadie-malim/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/
The Return: Property & Investment Podcast has been featured in Feedspot’s UK and London ‘Best Real Estate Podcasts’ lists, coming in at #4 in the UK!
How should we measure ESG in residential investment? with Alex Notay, Director at Thriving Investments, and internationally recognised expert on Build to Rent and ESG in residential
Alex Notay is Placemaking & Investment Director at Thriving Investments, which aims to be the most socially responsible asset management company in the housing sector, and is part of Places for People.
She’s an internationally recognised expert on Build to Rent and ESG in residential, and she has helped lead residential and ESG committees for leading industry bodies ULI, BPF and AREF.
So she was the perfect guest to explain how we should be measuring ESG risks and impacts in residential.
We covered topics including:
What are the key trends shaping how we approach sustainability?
Which are the best of 500+ real estate and sustainability benchmarks for residential?
Key lessons from writing (my personal favourite ESG report of recent years), ‘Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG): Why it matters and how to get started - A Guide for the Institutional PRS (British Property Federation)
BPF Residential ESG Guidance report: https://bpf.org.uk/media/4534/bpf-residential-esg-guidance.pdf
Guest website: https://www.thrivinginvestments.co.uk/
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandranotayparr/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/
What is Net Zero for UK homes? with Phil Mason, Head of Regulatory Engagement at Trustmark, the government endorsed quality scheme for home improvements and Anna Clare Harper
I chatted to Phil Mason, Head of Regulatory Engagement at Trustmark, the government endorsed quality scheme for home improvements, an organisation that is critical for the urgent retrofit of UK homes, about the impact of regulations on retrofit and the path to Net Zero for homes.
We covered:
What Net Zero means for UK homes
The path of least resistance for achieving Net Zero 2050 - avoiding inefficiencies and just ‘retrofitting once’
How policies, practices and grant funding opportunities differ between tenures, and what finance is available for retrofit
Guest website: https://www.trustmark.org.uk/
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-mason-29a5a9164/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/
The Return: Property & Investment Podcast has been featured in Feedspot’s UK and London ‘Best Real Estate Podcasts’ lists, coming in at #4 in the UK!
Is now the time to upsize? with Polly Ogden Duffy, MD at John D Wood & Co and Anna Clare Harper
I had a great chat with Polly Ogden Duffy, Managing Director at prime sales and lettings agency, John D Wood & Co.
We covered:
How to achieve your buying, selling or renting goals in the current market
How upsizers are winning in 2023
What has caused the time taken to complete a sale to double since 2019
How establishing pregnancy loss and menopause policies - as well as being vocal about such real staff issues - improves staff loyalty and so boosts long term profitability
Guest website: https://www.johndwood.co.uk
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/polly-ogden-duffy-17070651/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/
The Return: Property & Investment Podcast has been featured in Feedspot’s UK and London ‘Best Real Estate Podcasts’ lists, coming in at #4 in the UK!
How to become a fund manager, and what are the greatest opportunities for institutional real estate investment? With Imogen Ebbs, Head of UK Real Estate Funds at Aviva Investors and Anna Clare Harper
I had the chance to chat with Imogen Ebbs, Head of UK Real Estate Funds at £223bn asset manager Aviva Investors, on the podcast.
We covered:
How to become a fund manager, and how Aviva Investors are helping the next generation of fund managers onto the ladder
What ‘good’ looks like in the current market, and how this has changed - including macroeconomic factors, pricing, microeconomics and ESG
The most exciting emerging investment strategies (spoiler alert: lots in ‘living’!) and the death of the commercial property ‘40/40/20’ allocation strategy
Why reporting is so important, and how data collection and impact possibilities define what is investible
Guest website: https://www.avivainvestors.com
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/imogen-ebbs-37136262/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/
The Return: Property & Investment Podcast has been featured in Feedspot’s UK and London ‘Best Real Estate Podcasts’ lists, coming in at #4 in the UK!
What does scrapping EPC targets mean for residential? Rod Turner x Anna Clare Harper, CEO of GreenResi
In this episode I share my thoughts on the scrapping of proposed Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards of EPC C+ for properties to be legally rented out.
The tables were turned and I joined Rod Turner on his Property Business Investment ‘Rodcast’ in my capacity as CEO of GreenResi, which helps residential investors with portfolios worth £100m+ to make efficient, reliable buy, sell and upgrade decisions at scale, so that they can future proof and grow portfolios in the context of the urgent need to retrofit homes.
We covered topics including
Why scrapping planned MEES is likely to be positive for the Private Rental Sector, its renters and the environment
Why our clients, institutional investors, were and are self-regulating, and targeting better than the ex-proposed minimum EPC of C
What other policies would work better than MEES, such as using Council Tax to incentivise upgrades.
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Guidance: https://bpf.org.uk/media/4534/bpf-residential-esg-guidance.pdf
Listen to The Rodcast: https://www.podpage.com/the-rodcast-property-business-investment/
Rod Turner Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rod-turner-936a837/
Anna Clare Harper LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
GreenResi website: https://www.greenresi.com/
The Return: Property & Investment Podcast has been featured in Feedspot’s UK and London ‘Best Real Estate Podcasts’ lists, coming in at #4 in the UK!
How to protect consumers and innovate for Net Zero with Avinash Rajan, Proposition Director for TrustMark, the UK Government-Endorsed Quality Scheme for home improvements and Anna Clare Harper
I had the chance to chat with Avinash Rajan, Proposition Director for TrustMark, the UK Government-Endorsed Quality Scheme for home improvements, and an organisation that is critical for the urgent retrofit of UK homes.
We covered:
Innovations and policy changes in home comfort and the path to Net Zero
How to ensure quality delivery and protect consumers
How to adapt your retrofit approach when policy objectives conflict, for example when changing from gas to electric brings down Energy Performance Certificate grades
Guest website: https://www.trustmark.org.uk/homeowner
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/avinashrajan/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/
What next for real estate non-bank lending? with Carl Jabbour, Head of Investors and COO of £1bn+ bridging lender Fiduciam and Anna Clare Harper
I had a great, very informative chat with Carl Jabbour, Head of Investors and COO of £1bn+ property and SME lender Fiduciam, for the podcast.
We talked about:
Why family offices and institutional investors are so keen to lend, and the non-cyclical growth of non-bank lending
How macroeconomic shifts like high inflation, high interest rates and low economic growth/confidence define what works for Family Offices and institutional investors
Why lenders are swallowing profit margin in the face of higher base rates, and what distinguishes lenders who will survive, thrive or fold in the 2020s
Guest website: https://fiduciam.co.uk/
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-jabbour/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/
Energy and housing with Emma Fletcher, Homes Director for Octopus Energy and Anna Clare Harper
I chatted to Emma Fletcher, Homes Director at Octopus Energy, the UK's most awarded energy supplier. Emma is also a renewable energy pioneer herself, having led the UK’s first green district heating system, which we have talked about in past episodes.
In this episode, we talked about:
Using technology and innovation bridge the gap between traditional housing infrastructure and the demands of a more environmentally conscious society
Pioneering products like ‘Zero Bills’ - where customers with solar, heatpumps, batteries and smart meters pay £0 for five years
Testing then rolling out innovations to support energy transition across housing developments
Guest website: https://octopus.energy/
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmafletchercambridge/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/
Humans, real estate and finance with Ray Rafiq, serial founder including of Unmortgage, which became Wayhome and Anna Clare Harper
I chatted to Rayhan Rafiq, serial founder including of Unmortgage, which became Wayhome - a ground-breaking institutionally-backed shared ownership scheme for aspiring owners of existing homes letting people buy as little as 5% of a home and rent the rest.
We talked about ‘the human side of business’, including:
What key performance indicators ‘customer-centric’ businesses really need
Building trust and rapport in low trust, emotionally-charged industries
People, politics and the risks of poor communication
Social impact, diversity and inclusion and how to change the disappointing talk/change ratio in real estate and finance - featuring lessons from Barbie
Leaning into human-only capabilities through the rise of AI
Guest website: https://www.wayhome.co.uk/
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ray5d/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: greenresi.com
Training 200,000 retrofitters by 2030 with David Pierpoint, Co-Founder and CEO of The Retrofit Academy and Anna Clare Harper
I chatted with David Pierpoint, CEO of The Retrofit Academy, the leading retrofit skills training provider on a special podcast demystifying retrofit standards, certifications and training.
Highlights include:
How PAS 2035 emerged, and why it’s so important
The relationship between PAS 2035, ECO4 and EPC recommendations
Maintaining quality in a race against time
The Retrofit Rap
Guest website: https://retrofitacademy.org/
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-pierpoint-8044405/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: greenresi.com
What next for office leasing? With Jon Dweck, Founder of Space32, a leading office flexspace marketplace and Anna Clare Harper
Jon Dweck, Founder of Space32, a leading office flexspace marketplace joined me on the podcast to discuss how flexible office space is evolving, from location choice to days per week.
Highlights include:
The extent to which office demand has fallen
The future of the office sector - from flex space to Build to Rent conversions
What businesses paid for in the last 12 months, including less time in the office, and higher quality
Shaking up the office leasing sector with a new marketplace
Guest website: https://www.space32.com/
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathandweck/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: greenresi.com
Understanding customers and using tech for effective asset maintenance with UK Managing Director of Aareon Group and FixFlo Co-Founder, Rajeev Nayyar and Anna Clare Harper
I chatted with the wonderful Rajeev Nayyar, UK Managing Director of Aareon Group (the largest property management software group in the UK, including Arthur, FixFlo and Aereon UK) and Co-Founder of FixFlo, the leading repairs and maintenance software used for more than 1 million properties in the UK.
Highlights include:
The late shift to focusing on customer wants and needs in real estate
The three types of asset maintenance, and how tech can be used to make them smoother across dispersed portfolios
The future of AI and IOT in real estate
Guest website: https://www.aareon.co.uk/
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajeev-nayyar-19616155/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: greenresi.com
£100m investment in socially responsible development with Paul Clark, Stories Co-founder & CIO, Sophie White, Sector Head for Regeneration at Aviva Capital Partners and Anna Clare Harper
I really enjoyed chatting with Paul Clark, Stories Co-founder & CIO, Sophie White, Sector Head for Regeneration at Aviva Capital Partners about their £100m joint venture in purposeful, socially responsible development.
Some highlights included:
Measuring social responsibility
Using the right capital for long term projects
How trust and fear really show up in development partnerships
Paul Clark LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrichardclark/
Website: https://www.stories.partners/
Sophie White LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-white-89378a30/
Website: https://www.aviva.com/about-us/aviva-capital-partners/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: remees.net
How technology can help residential investors and managers to make better decisions in 2023-2028 with Anna Clare Harper
On the pod this week I talked about what I’ve been working on: a new tool to help residential investors and managers to navigate the current environment, including:
Current and planned regulations
The urgent need to improve the quality and energy efficiency of homes in the UK
Making better, cheaper, faster decisions at scale.
We’re running pilots with portfolio investors and managers looking to:
Add value to their portfolios in the current environment and
Help solve the urgent social and environmental problems
Please reach out if this is you, and you own/manage a portfolio of (100+) properties or intend to.
I also shared some thoughts on how tech and data can be used more broadly to help solve the home energy efficiency crisis, and where the limits of software are - since energy efficiency is a ‘hardware’ problem.
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: remees.net
Digital property management and maintenance and proptech fundraising in the current climate with David Rae, COO and CFO of Evo and Anna Clare Harper
I really enjoyed chatting with David Rae, the CFO and COO of Evo, a digital property management business managing 5,900 units for clients like British Land, Acorn and Winkworth.
Some highlights included:
Using augmented reality video technology to triage maintenance, reducing the cost and environmental impact of maintenance callouts
Auditing maintenance and repairs, and improving efficiency through property record-keeping
What it’s really like to raise for proptech companies in the current environment, from valuations down 40% to the facts and figures angel investors and venture capitalists really care about
Guest website: https://evo-pm.com/
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drrae/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: annaclareharper.com
Green skills emergency with Richard Ng, Co-Founder of Greenworkx and Anna Clare Harper
Richard Ng, Co-Founder of Greenworkx, joined me on the podcast to talk about the green skills emergency.
We discussed:
How the 500,000 person labour shortage is holding back Net Zero 2050
What skills are most in demand in retrofitting real estate
The future of green skills - from funding to tech-enabled learning
Guest website: https://greenworkx.org
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardcrng/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: annaclareharper.com
Politics and energy efficiency with Liz Peace CBE, former CEO of the British Property Federation, Non-Executive Director and Advisor and Anna Clare Harper
Liz Peace CBE was CEO of the British Property Federation. She specialises in politics, property and the built environment and advises both public and private sector bodies, making her the perfect podcast guest to discuss the politics of energy efficiency in real estate with.
Her roles include as a Non-Executive Director at Howard de Walden Estates and the Connected Places Catapult, as Chair of the GLA’s Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation, the University of Cambridge Property Board, the Churches Conservation Trust and Real Estate Balance.
We discussed:
The role of central government, local government and communities in improving energy efficiency
The role of the housing industry in reducing real estate carbon emissions
The challenge of funding and commercial case for retrofit
Guest website: https://cp.catapult.org.uk/team/liz-peace-cbe/
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-peace-a6b41a16/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: annaclareharper.com
A vision for the UK housing market with Emma Fletcher, Development Director at Hyde Housing Association and Anna Clare Harper
Following a Cambridge University Land Society and Joseph Rowntree Foundation event on housing policy, Emma Fletcher and I were asked to write a paper detailing a realistic vision for the UK housing market, and what policies could be used to achieve that vision.
Emma is a Development Director at Hyde, a Housing Association responsible for 50,000 homes, and Chair of Swaffham Prior Community Land Trust, which created the first village-wide renewable energy system in the UK.
The paper is being published this week, and includes an overall vision, as well as tenure-specific objectives and policy recommendations.
Points include:
The impact of short termism and vested interests on housing market inequalities
The problem with focusing on new homes, since 80% of the homes we use in 2050 are already built
Policy ideas such as how to incentivise downsizing, for reasons including the fact that 3.6 million homes across the country owned by over 65s have at least two spare rooms.
Guest website: https://www.hyde-housing.co.uk/
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmafletchercambridge/
Host website: annaclareharper.com
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
The UK’s first 30 year fixed rate mortgages with Arjan Verbeek, CEO and Co-Founder of Perenna, a new Danish-style mortgage lender and Anna Clare Harper
I chatted with Arjan Verbeek, CEO and Co-Founder of Perenna, about this new Danish-style mortgage lender offering 30 year fixed rate mortgages in the UK.
We covered:
How Danish banks - and now UK banks - can offer long term fixed rate mortgages using covered bonds
The hurdles a new bank has to overcome - as seen in Bank of Dave!
The impacts of longer term fixed rates - for people and the economy
Guest website: https://www.perenna.com/
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%87%B3%F0%9F%87%B1-arjan-verbeek-5884681/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: annaclareharper.com
Sustainable development and place-making with Roger Madelin CBE, Joint Head of British Land’s Canada Water Development and Anna Clare Harper
I was delighted to chat to Roger Madelin CBE about sustainable development and place-making in the current challenging environment.
Roger is Joint Head of British Land’s 53 acre Canada Water Development, and previously led major projects including Brindleyplace in Birmingham, Thames Valley Park in Reading the King’s Cross Development.
We covered:
- The commercial realities of development in the 2020s
- The patience required for sustainable development
- Advice for aspiring developers and architects
Guest website: https://www.britishland.com/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: annaclareharper.com
How Housing Associations are helping solve market problems with Aubrey Adams OBE, Chair of L&Q, former CEO of Savills and Chair of Tritax Big Box REIT and Anna Clare Harper
I sat down with Aubrey Adams OBE, Chair of L&Q Group, one of the biggest housing associations in the UK, with 110,000 homes. He’s also former Chief Executive of Savills, and Chair of Tritax Big Box REIT.
We covered:
- What Housing Associations like L&Q, with 110k homes under management, actually do, the challenges they face and how these are being tackled
- The volume/quality trade-off in social housing
- Policy ideas for solving volume, quality and distribution (inequality) problems in housing.
Guest website: https://www.lqgroup.org.uk/
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/london-&-quadrant/
Sponsor website: immo.capital
Sponsor LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/immoinvesttech/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: annaclareharper.com
How tech drives quality residential asset management throughout market turbulence with Co-Founder of IMMO, Samantha Kempe and Anna Clare Harper
Residential investment is seen as a great investment option for volatile, inflationary times. And quality asset management is an essential part of this.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Samantha Kempe, Co-Founder and CIO of IMMO, with highlights including:
- The wide range of investors now allocating capital to Single Family Rental, from Private Equity to Pension Funds
- Quality asset management in existing residential, including upgrading energy performance and safety standards
- Delivering quality, affordable homes without the high embodied carbon of new builds
Guest website: immo.capital
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-kempe-3ab42394/
Sponsor website: immo.capital
Sponsor LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/immoinvesttech/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: annaclareharper.com
What does The Building Safety Act do and mean? With experts from the RICS, the RIBA, NHBC and the Insurance sector and Anna Clare Harper
The Building Safety Act marks a significant change for the construction industry. It overhauls existing regulations on building standards and construction materials, with the goal of driving quality in design, construction and operation.
I had the privilege of chairing a panel on its wide-reaching implications with Gary Strong, Global Standards Director at the RICS, Jane Duncan OBE from the RIBA, Liz Oliver, Safer Homes Director at Hyde Housing Association, Sarah Kiesel, Senior Technical Operations Manager at NHBC and John Winter from Apex Insurance.
The panel was part of an event hosted by the Cambridge Forum for the Construction Industry and the Cambridge University Land Society’s Residential Forum.
I’m sharing the panel on the pod because despite its importance, the Act is not widely understood. Topics include:
- What are the intended and unintended consequences of this new Act?
- Will the Act result in an exodus of professionals, especially SME surveyors, architects etc?
- What are the commercial implications of the Act?
Guests LinkedIn and websites: Gary Strong | https://www.rics.org/uk/ | Jane Duncan | https://www.architecture.com/ | Liz Oliver | https://www.hyde-housing.co.uk/ | Sarah Kiesel | https://www.nhbc.co.uk/ | John Winter | https://apexinsurancebrokers.co.uk/
Event Host Websites: https://www.cfci.org.uk/ | https://www.culandsoc.com/forums/residential-forum/
Sponsor website: immo.capital
Sponsor LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/immoinvesttech/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: annaclareharper.com
What the drive for building safety means for professionals and their liability with John Winter of Apex Insurance and Anna Clare Harper
The post-Grenfell drive for improved building safety has, rightly, shaken up the construction industry.
One consequence of many, is the significant change in the costs of Professional Indemnity Insurance and the timeframes it is needed for.
I spoke to John Winter from Apex Insurance about:
- Extended liability periods: from 6 years from practical completion on a project to 15 years, and a new retrospective right to claim for 30 years, leaving firms open to claims dating back to the mid-nineties.
- Increased costs of cover: with cheaper insurance providers leaving the market, costs of PI cover are increasing by 500-800% for many professionals on renewal.
- What increased costs of business mean for professionals, including fears of an exodus of professionals and fewer building projects being viable, making it ever harder to meet our national housing targets.
Guest website: https://apexinsurancebrokers.co.uk/
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnwinter-pispecialist/
Sponsor website: immo.capital
Sponsor LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/immoinvesttech/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: annaclareharper.com
What’s happening in the UK rental market? With Richard Donnell, Executive Director at Zoopla and Anna Clare Harper
I chatted to Richard Donnell, Executive Director at Zoopla, about the UK rental market in Q4 2022.
Some highlights:
- 12.1% annual rental price growth
- Demand is 46% above average, and total supply is 38% below the 5 year averages
- Rental (un)affordability is at a 10 year peak of 35% for single earners, which explains by 3.6m 20-34 year olds are living with their families (not far off the size of the entire social rented sector, at 4.2m households).
Guest website: https://www.zoopla.co.uk/
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-donnell-a043833a/
Sponsor website: immo.capital
Sponsor LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/immoinvesttech/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: annaclareharper.com
Single Family Rental investment in Europe with Alexandra Thur, former founding team member at Blackstone-backed Invitation Homes & Anna Clare Harper
I chatted to Alexandra Thur, Founder of Tollington Group and former founding team member at Blackstone-backed Invitation Homes and B2R about the emergence of Single Family Rental as an institutionally-accepted asset class.
We covered:
- The market conditions needed to make Single-Family Rental work in the US
- The growth of US Single-Family Rental, to ⅓ of homes in some cities
- What European investors can learn from the US experience, from technological capabilities to considering the needs of local communities up front
Guest website: https://www.tollingtongroup.com/
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandrathur/
Sponsor website: immo.capital
Sponsor LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/immoinvesttech/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: annaclareharper.com
Is this the end of property investment ‘for dummies’? With Melanie Bien, award-winning PR specialist, former Finance Editor of the Independent, and property 'for dummies' author and Anna Clare Harper
I sat down with Melanie Bien, award-winning PR specialist, former Personal Finance Editor of the Independent on Sunday, and author of four best-selling property 'for dummies' books to talk about what’s driving the market and whether property investment still makes sense ‘for dummies’.
Key topics include:
- What the end of an era of cheap finance really means for residential property
- How close we are to the peak of rent growth
- A whistle stop tour of the key market changes since 2020
Guest website: https://www.bienmedia.com/
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanie-bien-4b67144/
Sponsor website: immo.capital
Sponsor LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/immoinvesttech/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: annaclareharper.com
Making Tax Digital with CEO and Founder of leading property finance platform, Hammock, Manoj Varsani MBE and Anna Clare Harper
Manoj Varsani MBE joined me on the podcast this week to talk about:
- Using tech for good, including establishing SOS Supplies to provide £5m worth of PPE to those in need through Covid
- Making Tax Digital - what landlords need to know about upcoming changes to reporting requirements, and why automated financial management makes sense in the context of the upcoming 5 x annual deadlines
- Using software to make property compliance easier, including budgeting for energy performance upgrades to comply with Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards
Guest website: https://www.usehammock.com/
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manojvarsani/
Sponsor website: immo.capital
Sponsor LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/immoinvesttech/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: annaclareharper.com
RICS and the shift to Net Zero - from guidance to lenders to whole life carbon assessment with Luay Al-Khatib, Director of Standards, RICS and Anna Clare Harper
I caught up with Luay Al-Khatib, Director of Standards for the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors on the role of RICS in the shift to Net Zero.
Key topics include:
- Whole life carbon assessment - because you can’t manage what you don’t measure
- Guidance to lenders - vital as this influences the viability of schemes, investments and even home purchases
- Upskilling and improving knowledge to improve the energy efficiency of real estate - from surveys to retrofits
- Governance in surveying and the importance of independence
Guest website: https://www.rics.org/uk/
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luay-al-khatib-895a4149
Sponsor website: immo.capital
Sponsor LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/immoinvesttech/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: annaclareharper.com
Housing market trends with Head of UK Residential Research at Savills and leading housing market commentator Lucian Cook and Anna Clare Harper
I had the pleasure of catching up with Lucian Cook, Head of UK Residential Research at Savills and leading housing market commentator on the pod.
Key topics include:
- What’s happened in mainstream and prime housing in the last 2 years
- Economic, social and environmental sustainability and housing policy
- How scrapping mortgage affordability tests will affect house prices
- What next for UK house prices (the least inaccurate forecasts)?
Guest website: https://www.savills.co.uk/people/savills-margaret-street/lucian-cook.aspx
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucian-cook/
Sponsor website: immo.capital
Sponsor LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/immoinvesttech/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: annaclareharper.com
What’s happening in the UK rental market? With Richard Donnell, Executive Director at Zoopla and Anna Clare Harper
I had the pleasure of digging into the key trends in the UK rental market this quarter with Executive Director at Zoopla, Richard Donnell.
Key topics include:
- 12.3% annual rental price growth - set against a 46% reduction in available stock indicating a landlord exodus
- Why premium rents are rising faster
- Renter strategies for the cost of living crisis, from renting flats (demand for which has increased significantly) to sharing vs living alone
- What next for the UK rental market, and the peak in rental price growth
Guest website: https://www.zoopla.co.uk/
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-donnell-a043833a/
Sponsor website: immo.capital
Sponsor LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/immoinvesttech/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: annaclareharper.com
Climate Change Risk Adaptation with Baroness Brown of Cambridge, Julia King, Chair of the Adaption Committee on the Climate Change Committee and the Carbon Trust and Anna Clare Harper
I was honoured to have Baroness Brown of Cambridge DBE FREng FRS, Julia King on the podcast to talk about adapting to climate change risk in real estate.
She's currently Chair of the Adaptation Committee of the UK Climate Change Committee, which she has been a member of since it was formed in 2008. She also chairs the Carbon Trust, is a non-executive director of Ørsted and of Ceres Power and a member of the Government’s Hydrogen Advisory Committee. Previous roles include as the UK’s Low Carbon Business Ambassador, Non-Executive Director of the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult and of the Green Investment Bank.
So, she’s extremely well-qualified to talk about climate change and what we need to do now to reduce its impacts, with a particular focus on housing.
Key topics include:
- What risks we need to prepare for and how - including over-heating in homes, climate change ghettoisation and poorly adapted office to residential conversions
- Hazards, exposure and vulnerability
- Creating the right kinds of policy in pursuit of a clear vision so that we adapt and minimise climate change risks, without adverse consequences
Guest website: https://members.parliament.uk/member/4565/contact / https://www.carbontrust.com/who-we-are/people/julia-king-baroness-brown-of-cambridge
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/baroness-brown-julia-king-dbe-freng-frs-5a955319/
Sponsor website: immo.capital
Sponsor LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/immoinvesttech/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: annaclareharper.com
Dubai housing and ESG with Dr Michael Waters, Director of Studies for Real Estate at Heriott-Watt University and Anna Clare Harper
Dr Michael Waters, Director of Studies for Real Estate at Heriot-Watt University, joined me on the podcast this week.
Highlights include:
- The genesis and journey of Dubai real estate - including how not being a democracy makes it easier to build to a long term vision
- Who buys Dubai housing and why, from tax benefits to glamour
- Financing and the recent decriminalisation of loan defaults
- Sustainability: mandatory green building codes, ratings and international ESG standards
Guest website: https://www.hw.ac.uk/dubai/profiles/teaching/michael-waters.htm
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-michael-waters-mrics-71b43622/
Sponsor website: immo.capital
Sponsor LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/immoinvesttech/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: annaclareharper.com
Building new build housing at scale with Cedric Bucher, CEO of specialist PRS fund manager Hearthstone, and Anna Clare Harper
I was delighted to speak to Cedric Bucher, CEO of Hearthstone Investments, specialist
Private Rental Sector fund manager with 1,400+ homes under management.
We covered:
- The case for new builds vs existing properties
- Institutional investors reporting requirements
- Moving towards sustainable UK residential property
Guest website: https://www.hearthstone.co.uk/
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cedric-bucher-8490329/
Sponsor website: immo.capital
Sponsor LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/immoinvesttech/
Host website: annaclareharper.com
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
ESG responsibilities and the benefits of becoming a B Corp with Professor Andrew Baum, internationally-respected real estate professional, academic and author and Anna Clare Harper
I had the chance to chat to Professor Andrew Baum about the E, S and G responsibilities of investors, developers and professionals in real estate, and what it means to become a B Corp.
Andrew is one of the most influential people in real estate and proptech with credentials include being Chairman at Newcore Capital Management (a B Corp), Strategy Partner at PiLabs, Advisor at IMMO, on the Investment Committee at CBRE Investment Management Indirect and as Emeritus Professor at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School. He has also written six books on real estate investment with combined sales of over 75,000 books - including the books I used at Cambridge!
Highlights include:
- Mission-focused prioritisation and the importance of economic sustainability
- The collective responsibility of property owners
- Systemised altruism as a B Corp
- The practicalities and benefits of B Corp status
Guest website: https://www.newcorecapital.com/team/andrew-baum/2
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-baum-303a014/
Sponsor website: immo.capital
Sponsor LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/immoinvesttech/
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Host website: annaclareharper.com
UK’s first 100% renewable district heating scheme with Emma Fletcher, MD of Evera and Anna Clare Harper
I had a fascinating chat with the brilliant Emma Fletcher about the UK’s first 100% renewable district heating scheme and Housing Association development challenges - two massive topics at the heart of environmentally and socially responsible residential property.
Emma is the Managing Director at Evera, a partnership of four Housing Associations in the East of England - which collectively owns and manages over 100,000 homes. She’s also the Chair of Swaffham Prior Community Land Trust, which is developing a ground-breaking village-wide renewable energy supply.
In short, she’s a pretty incredible role model for leading socially and environmentally responsible change in residential property.
We covered topics including:
- The importance of public-private partnerships in property
- How to strengthen and support communities, rather than just building housing
- The generational skills gap in construction
- Diversifying property development
Guest website: everahomes.co.uk
Guest LinkedIn: Emma (Veale) Fletcher | LinkedIn
Host website: annaclareharper.com
Host website: immo.capital
Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
Research vs practice in property with Professor Franz Fuerst, leading real estate academic at the University of Cambridge and Anna Clare Harper
Professor Franz Fuerst is the leading light in real estate research, in particular as it relates to sustainability.
So he’s the perfect person to ask about the undeniable gulf between academic research and what happens in practice in the real estate industry.
And, with the rise of machine learning and the democratisation of data, the risks ahead are growing.
We talked about topics on this theme including:
- Reputation, funding, profit and vested interests
- Academic-business partnerships - and how the European real estate industry differs from the American pharmaceutical industry
- Biases in research, in particular when it comes to ESG, and
- The future of real estate research - and how real estate businesses can use it to their advantage.
https://www.landecon.cam.ac.uk/directory/dr-franz-fuerst
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ffuerst/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/
https://immo.capital/
Inheritance with Ann-Marie Atkins, award-winning Financial Planner and Managing Partner at Evelyn Partners, and Anna Clare Harper
Inheritance can be an awkward topic. No surprise, since it involves both death and taxes. As a result, many of us fail to plan for the people we love. Worse still, good people can turn bad when it comes to money.
Ann-Marie Atkins, award-winning Financial Planner and Managing Partner at Evelyn Partners, joined me on the pod to talk about passing on, or indeed inheriting wealth smoothly.
We covered:
- Common mistakes
- Advice on planning for the inevitable
- Trusts, taxes and marriage
Resources:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/annmariebanks/
Annaclareharper.com