The Return: Property & Investment Podcast

Send us a TextUnderstanding 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.In Anna's words: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 estateThe three types of asset maintenance, and how tech can be used to make them smoother across dispersed portfoliosThe 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

Send us a Text£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.In Anna's words: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 partnershipsPaul 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: greenresi.com 

Send us a TextDigital property management and maintenance and proptech fundraising in the current climate with David Rae, COO and CFO of Evo and Anna Clare Harper.In Anna's words: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 calloutsAuditing maintenance and repairs, and improving efficiency through property record-keepingWhat 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 aboutGuest 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

Richard Ng, Co-Founder of Greenworkx, and Anna Clare Harper discuss the impact of the green skills emergency on achieving Net Zero 2050, the need for more workers in retrofitting real estate, and the future of green skills including funding and tech-enabled learning.

Send us a TextPolitics and energy efficiency with Liz Peace CBE, former CEO of the British Property Federation, Non-Executive Director and Advisor and Anna Clare Harper.In Anna's words: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 efficiencyThe role of the housing industry in reducing real estate carbon emissionsThe 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

Send us a TextA vision for the UK housing market with Emma Fletcher, Development Director at Hyde Housing Association and Anna Clare Harper.In Anna's words: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 builtPolicy 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.Paper: https://www.culandsoc.com/articles/whitehall-group-whitepaper-on-housing-policy-april-2023-2/ 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/

Send us a TextThe 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.In Anna's words: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 bondsThe hurdles a new bank has to overcome - as seen in Bank of Dave!The impacts of longer term fixed rates - for people and the economyGuest 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

Send us a TextSustainable development and place-making with Roger Madelin CBE, Joint Head of British Land’s Canada Water Development and Anna Clare Harper.In Anna's words: 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 2020sThe patience required for sustainable developmentAdvice for aspiring developers and architectsGuest website: https://www.britishland.com/Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/Host website: annaclareharper.com

Send us a TextHow 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.In Anna's words: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 tackledThe volume/quality trade-off in social housingPolicy 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.capitalSponsor LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/immoinvesttech/Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/Host website: annaclareharper.com

Samantha Kempe, Co-Founder of IMMO, discusses the wide range of investors in Single Family Rental. They explore upgrading energy performance and safety standards in existing residential. They also discuss delivering affordable homes without high embodied carbon. Insights on investment trends, retrofitting properties, and meeting tenant needs are shared.