The Return: Property & Investment Podcast

Send us a textIn this episode, the podcasting roles were reversed.I was lucky to be invited on The Career Equation, hosted by Erica Sosna - career coach and Good Housekeeping's in-house career expert. The format is that each guest brings a career challenge they are facing and Erica helps them through it using her methodology. My challenge (at the time of recording - a few months ago now) was: should I focus on solving problems for individual investors (the backbone of the residential market, who I worked with on 300 deals, who I wrote for in the Telegraph etc) or institutions (whose interest in UK residential is growing, and who are my main clients now).Erica did such a good job that this question hasn't bothered me at all since recording, but I thought it was useful to share as, underneath it all, it's a common problem we all have to navigate at some point: how to adapt to market changes. Would love to hear what you think if you give it a listen.Guest website: The Career Equation®Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericasosna/Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/

Send us a text‘AI will replace us.'No.AI will scale us.AI will free us.AI will sharpen us.To become a high-performing, high-growth real estate business, you embrace it all.→ Automate what slows you down - like messy bank reconciliations → Focus your team on value-add work - like relationship-building. → Use robots to double your AUM - without hiring.In the US, building custom real estate business robots is becoming the norm. In the UK, 99% don't do it.Find out how to double your Assets Under Management without hiring.From Maya the Robot.And Andy Rothery, Head of Europe for Real Foundations / Former Head of Deloitte Real Estate. P.S. Yes, we really had a robot on the pod. And yes, she gave the best answer to the £100k/£1m/£1bn question. Maya the Robot created by https://www.sesame.com/Guest website: http://www.realfoundations.net/Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-rothery-a8209818/Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/

Send us a textWhat people think you should do is:Take a huge mortgageOwn a home ASAPConsider your home to be your main ‘investment'Spend all your money on your homeIt might be better to:Enjoy living in a much nicer place than you could afford to buyEnjoy not wasting your time and energy on property maintenanceEnjoy the flexibility, and move when you want to (not after 3 x sale fall throughs)Make informed investment decisions suited to your age and stage of lifeSpending all your money on a home doesn't give you freedom…Being strategic about your property (and other) investments will. I spoke to Helen Gordon, CEO of Grainger PLC, the UK's largest listed residential landlord about → The benefits of renting over buying for many of their customers→ Misalignment of incentives in rental property→ How to enjoy a career in real estate and investmentGuest website: https://corporate.graingerplc.co.uk/ Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/

Send us a textI spoke with Aubrey Adams OBE, Chair of Tritax Big Box REIT (FTSE 250), Former Chair of L&Q (105,000 homes) and Former CEO of Savills about building trust and how housing gets funded.We covered:→ How to fund and scale Housing Associations (Including cash flow, bonds, grant etc)→ How real estate Boards can build trust→ Where public housing providers should take riskGuest website: https://www.tritaxbigbox.co.uk/ Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/

Send us a textI spoke to Guy Horne, CEO of HSPG, a real estate company that acquires, manages and develops residential property, in particular Affordable housing.We covered:What are the key differences between affordable, Affordable, social, and supported housing, in words my mum can understand?What are the hottest strategies for Living Sector investors seeking to solve the homelessness crisis, including place-based portfolios?What impact is grant funding having on what investment strategies work?What Guy's most recommended resource is.Guest website: http://www.hspg.co.uk Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guy-horne-b6646722/Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/

Send us a textI chatted with Gus Wiseman, Global Head of Investor Relations for the UK Government's Office for Investment about: 

Send us a textUK vs Europe: Where's the Smart Money Going in Living Sector Investment?With John German, Managing Director Alternative Investments at Invesco Real EstateI chatted to John German, Managing Director Alternative Investments at Invesco Real Estate about the differences between UK and European Living Sector Investment, with a special focus on Affordable Housing. This episode is brilliant for anybody new to this sector as John is an expert at navigating this sometimes complex sector. We covered:Who's who and what's what in Living Sector investmentWhat different investors look for: Income vs Total Return (including capital growth)The differences between UK living sectors and other living sectors internationally in terms of scale, maturity and return expectationsThe significance of the UK's regulatory framework for affordable housing, meaning Affordable housing needs to be provided by Registered ProvidersWhat premium international investors need to make on Living Sector investments, to justify currency risk.Guest website: https://www.invesco.com/us/en/strategies/alternatives/real-estate.html Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-german-2437573b/Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/

Send us a textI chatted to Phil Clark, NED at Pinnacle Group (70,000 UK homes), Thriving Investments, part of Places for People, Chair of Pinnacle Investments (a partner of ours), Executive Chair at Wellcome Trust's Genome Campus, and Investment Committee NED at UCL and PIC.We talked about the match between institutions and social/affordable housing:

Send us a textI chatted to Ann-Marie Atkins, a Managing Partner and award-winning Financial Planner at Evelyn Partners, about what you need to know about investing. Disclaimer and spoiler alert - there's no actual investment tips or investment advice, the game-changing advice is to consider two equally exciting themes: TAX and INFLATION. Some snippets from Ann-Marie:Want to double your money in the next 10 years?? You can, if you invest at 7.2% interest (a version of this is known elsewhere as the Rule of 72)If you do one thing, think about tax first because it will have the greatest impact on your net returns - for example ISAs, SIPPs, Lifetime ISAs. If you haven't yet, now is a great time before the end of the tax year. How much you should be contributing to your pension each year.I shared some of my thoughts including:Something I've seen as I'm spending more time in the US is that there's a much greater acceptance of mistakes. Business founders are celebrated for trying as well as for succeeding; there's less shame around learning by doing. Here in the UK, speaking for myself, I was brought up to be scared of making mistakes with money - and the cost of that fear is huge - both for individuals and for our economy!Booking a monthly finance date with myself is something I find really helpful, and having a process and plan to follow.Some comments from listeners - for example, one very successful listener shared: “I'm just crap at this stuff. I put a reminder in my calendar to sort out my ISA or read up on how to allocate it, and then I keep postponing the calendar invite.” and we shared some nuggets about how to make this easier…Guest website: https://www.evelyn.com/Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annmariebanks/Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/

Send us a textI chatted to Rob Beiley, a Partner at law firm Trowers & Hamlins with over 20 years of experience in the affordable housing sector.Rob advises housing associations, local authorities, developers and institutional investors on topics including corporate governance, housing finance, development and structuring.He's also a board member of the Housing & Finance Institute, Chair of the British Property Federation's Affordable Housing group and a contributor to Inside Housing and the BBC on topics like council-led housing initiatives and the rise of local authority housing companies.We covered:What are the different types of Social Housing and who is involved in delivering itA potted history of Social Housing, including large-scale stock transfers and the growth of the Housing Association sector under the Conservatives and New Labour administrations in the 1990s and the early 2000sHow investment in Social Housing has evolved over the years, and what kind of returns investors can expect Guest website: https://www.trowers.com/ Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-beiley-8a906944/Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/

Send us a textI chatted to the brilliant Alex Notay, who succeeded Dame Kate Barker as Chair of the Radix Big Tent Housing Commission and was previously Placemaking and Investment Director at Thriving Investments (formerly PfP Capital). There, she facilitated a £390m joint venture with the Housing Growth Partnership and the acquisition of the award-winning sustainable developer Igloo Regeneration, where she also served as a board member.Alex is one of the most knowledgeable, practical people I know in housing, so it was a great joy to record this - we talked: The Reality of Housing Targets - what's needed to achieve them? Why it makes sense to treat housing as infrastructureThe challenge of communicating complicated ideas simplyThe significance of language around housing… Our self-built barrier to entry to the industry, where we talk about #housing when referring to social housing, #residential for private investment, #living for institutional investment, #property for individuals, #realestate for the American market #builtenvironment in relation to planning and development, and so on.Read the Radix Paper here: https://radixuk.org/papers/beyond-the-permacrisis-delivering-1000-homes-per-day/Guest website: https://radixuk.org/ Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandranotayparr/Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/

Send us a textI chatted to Bella Peacock, Senior Managing Director – Investment Management and Operations Europe, at Greystar. Greystar is one of the largest property managers globally with over 1m+ Units and Beds under management, over $78bn+ assets under management and a development track record of circa $36bn.We covered:Career forks in the road - and how an early decision to try something that sounds interesting can create your future if you decide to follow the thread How to navigate the complexities of working in a big global businessHow to stay focused in a world full of information and ideas - and how to stay positive in a challenging marketGuest website: https://www.greystar.com/Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bella-peacock-5a289360/ Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/

Send us a textI chatted with ex-Silicon Valley multi-national real estate investor with 30 years experience, and specialist in structured finance and legal capital raising for real estate, John Corey for this week's episode on topics including:How can processes be used to shift away from emotional investment decisions and overcome ‘analysis paralysis'?How can data gathering be used to improve financial and non-financial outcomes?What is the optimal stopping point in the hunt for deals?Guest website: https://propertyfortress.com/Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johncorey/Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/

Send us a textI chatted with my brilliant mentor, ex-Silicon Valley multi-national real estate investor with 30 years experience, and specialist in structured finance and legal capital raising for real estate, John Corey for this week's episode on topics including:Why get or be a mentor, and how to get the most out of the relationshipWhat are the rules around using ‘OPM' (other people's money) How Financial Promotion is regulated in different geographies.Guest website: https://propertyfortress.com/ Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johncorey/Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/

Send us a textI chatted to Emily Hamilton, Chief Sustainability Officer at Savills Investment Management about how to create a career you love in sustainable investment management in real estate. We covered:What a Chief Sustainability Officer is, and also what Investment Management actually means - in words my mum can understandThe importance of networks - speaking to others in the industry and sharing data and best practice - with some tips on how via the Better Buildings Partnership and ULIAdvice on driving innovation and change in a corporate context, from seeking senior management buy in to laying out a plan that includes urgent ‘now' tasks and an inspiring vision for the future.Guest website: https://www.savillsim.com/ Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-hamilton-0973b31b/ Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/

Send us a textI recently chatted on the podcast with Kate Faulkner OBE, one of the UK's leading property experts, the founder of free consumer education site Propertychecklists, The Home Buying and Selling Council and The Lettings Industry Council - which is how I came across her.Kate has worked with the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government and regularly features on BBC TV and radio including You and Yours and Moneybox.As well as an impressive career, she's also infectiously enthusiastic about creating positive change in the property market, and seeing property problems as business opportunities. It's this attitude, as well as her impressive achievements, that make her uniquely qualified to discuss how to create a career you love and drive positive change in property.We discussed:Getting started in the 1990s - and making the leap into property ‘full time'The importance of growing your network, and looking outside of your focus areaEmbracing problems and the unexpected - which are everywhere in property Guest website: https://www.propertychecklists.co.uk/Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katefaulkner/ Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/

Send us a textAdam Lawrence is the Founder of Propenomix, which has many thousands of subscribers across platforms who are keen to explore the economics of property. He's been involved in over 700 UK property deals in the past decade, using 8 figures of joint venture funding and retaining the vast majority. He co-owns multiple investment and asset management companies that provide end-to-end services to residential property investors. And he is my favourite source of insight on property economics and finance!In this episode of the podcast, sponsored by Cohort Invest, we discussed whether you should have property in your portfolio in the 2020s - and how.Topics include:The pros and cons of directly owning residential investments in the current economic and regulatory environmentWhat returns should you be targeting right now, over what timeframeThe pros and cons of a ‘passive' property portfolio, and how investors can diversify their income without taking on a second jobCommon mistakes investors make - and how to avoid themSponsor website: https://cohortinvest.co.uk/Guest website: https://propenomix.com/Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamglawrence/ Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/

Send us a textDamien Fogg is a Chief Financial Officer, chartered Building Surveyor, ex-Financial Advisor and the Author of two amazon best seller books on real estate and investment.He has helped a wide range of clients, from people who have unexpectedly inherited money to those who have built and sold multiple businesses. He does all this in plain English, so he's the perfect guest to help de-mystify investing for the future, and navigate how to legally pay less tax. This episode is part of our series on ‘How to make the most of your money' sponsored by Cohort Invest.We covered:How ‘time in the market' compares with ‘timing the market' (answer: very favourably!)How investors can approach ethical or sustainable investing when they also want to make an attractive returnWhen Robo Advice and Artificial Intelligence actually add value to investorsWhat tax planning isWhat tax wrappers you could and should use, including how SIPPs compare with ISAs in practiceWhat resources and tools to use, from tradingview to YouTubeSponsor website: https://cohortinvest.co.uk/Guest website: https://www.damienfogg.com/investing-made-easy Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damienfogg1/ Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/ Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/

Send us a textKia Commodore founded financial education platform Pennies to Pounds at the age of 21, when she realised there was a major gap in her own knowledge: money matters.She has since grown a significant social following and worked with the likes of Barclays, Natwest, Santander and Legal and General, the BBC and the Financial Times on her mission to demystify personal finance. So she was the perfect candidate to discuss the things you need to know but were afraid to ask about retirement planning and pensions, as part of our series on ‘How to make the most of your money' sponsored by Cohort Invest.We covered topics including:Why you can't just rely on the state pension and auto enrollmentHow to take control of your financial future and get start planning for your retirementHow to avoid common mistakes, and why now is the time to start thinking about pensions, if you haven't already The tax benefits of diverting income to your pensionDe-mystifying the jargon, from triple lock to SIPPsMy personal favourite: FIRE, and how to be part of this global movement.Sponsor website: https://cohortinvest.co.uk/Guest website: https://www.penniestopounds.co.uk/Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kia-commodore-34205a11a/Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/

Send us a textAnn-Marie Atkins is a Managing Partner and award-winning Financial Planner at Evelyn Partners. She came on the podcast as part of our series on ‘How to make the most of your money' sponsored by Cohort Invest, to discuss the things you need to know but were afraid to ask about inheritance.We covered topics including:What exemptions are available for Inheritance TaxTrusts, Family Investment Companies and other structures which mean you don't need to pay Inheritance TaxWhen should you start thinking about your Will, and what happens if you don'tTips and tricks for how to have awkward conversations, to avoid stress and drama laterHow to protect and pass on wealth under a Labour government Sponsor website: https://cohortinvest.co.uk/ Guest website: https://www.evelyn.com/ Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annmariebanks/ Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/

Send us a Text Message.I spoke to Allen Chilten, Global Head of Capital Formation at the £750bn Schroders Capital, previously Head of Funds at Patrizia.In this episode we covered topics like: What kind of returns, and what magnitude do investors expect from Living?How do returns from different UK Living strategies compare with one another, and the returns available from other geographies? What are the factors that investors consider significant? What makes a best-in-class ‘living' platform, which others can learn from?Guest website: https://www.schroderscapital.com/en/global/professional/ Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allen-chilten-48ab596/Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/

Send us a Text Message.I chatted with Grainne Gilmore, Director of Research & Insights at real assets advisory firm Cluttons about digital connectivity, one of their key expertise areas.We covered:What digital connectivity actually is, from phone masts to broadband capacity.Why capacity and speed are so important, for example playing a critical role in urgent healthcare delivery, facilitating the achievement of corporate ESG targets through IOT devices, or enabling families to connect with their communities.What we need to do in order to remain internationally competitive, including planning system capacity upgrades and public information campaigns. Grainne shared examples of what works in local communities, and I shared my thoughts on how the definition of infrastructure needs to change to align with what the UK really needs in the years to 2050.Guest website: https://www.cluttons.com/Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grainnegilmore/Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/

Send us a Text Message.I chatted with Elizabeth Froude, Group Chief Executive of Platform Housing Group, one of the largest Housing Associations in the Midlands with 49,000 homes as part of a collaboration with UKREiiF (The UK's Real Estate and Infrastructure Forum).We talked about topics including:How to attract institutional capital to decarbonise existing social housing stock when the substantial upfront capital required doesn't always result in higher rents (e.g. where rents are capped)What is the benefit to the exchequer of spending on social housingHow is Social Housing being used to catalyse supply chains for retrofitGuest website: https://www.platformhg.com/ Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-froude-43b40262/Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/

Send us a Text Message.I spoke to Gemma Bourne, Managing Director at Better Society Capital (formerly Big Society Capital) as part of a collaboration with UKREiiF (The UK's Real Estate and Infrastructure Forum).We talked about topics including:Where the UK's leading social impact investor gets its capital from, including dormant bank accounts What other organisations can learn from 10 years of impact investing, including how to avoid ‘impact blinkers' that distract from thorough due diligenceWhat a career in impact investing involves, career pathways and advice on how to shift into a career with impact, from any starting point. Guest website: https://bettersocietycapital.com/ Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gemma-bourne-69808544/Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/

I chatted to Richard Donnell, Executive Director at Houseful which is the Business to Business part of Zoopla. We covered:Rent growth - at its lowest for 30 monthsThe supply-demand imbalance - which is still over 2 x pre-pandemic levels What investor opportunities exist in the current market - notably existing homes What the election means for the housing and rental marketsGuest website: https://houseful.co.uk/Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-donnell/ Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/

I chatted to Jamie Broderick, Deputy Chair of the non-profit Impact Investing Institute about place-based impact investing - as part of a collaboration with UKREiiF (The UK's Real Estate and Infrastructure Forum).We covered:What actually is impact investing, and what is place-based impact investing?Who is still investing in an environment of higher interest rates, and what do they want?Blended finance and the use of public funding to crowd in private capitalNet Zero Neighbourhoods and the importance of community for both commercial viability and practical success of retrofit.Guest website: https://www.impactinvest.org.uk/ Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiebroderick1/Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/Host website: https://www.greenresi.com/

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/

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/

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

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/

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/

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/⁠

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/

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

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

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/

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/

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! ⁠https://podcasts.feedspot.com/uk_real_estate_podcasts/⁠ ⁠https://blog.feedspot.com/london_real_estate_podcasts/⁠

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/

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! ⁠https://podcasts.feedspot.com/uk_real_estate_podcasts/⁠ ⁠https://blog.feedspot.com/london_real_estate_podcasts/⁠

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! ⁠https://podcasts.feedspot.com/uk_real_estate_podcasts/⁠ ⁠https://blog.feedspot.com/london_real_estate_podcasts/⁠

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! ⁠https://podcasts.feedspot.com/uk_real_estate_podcasts/⁠ ⁠https://blog.feedspot.com/london_real_estate_podcasts/⁠

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/

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/

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/

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/

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

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

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

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

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