The Return: Property & Investment Podcast

Send us a Text Digital 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 au...

Send us a Text Green skills emergency with Richard Ng, Co-Founder of Greenworkx and Anna Clare Harper talk about the green skills emergency. In Anna's words: 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://green...

Send us a Text Politics 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 gue...

Send us a Text A 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 use...

Send us a Text 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. 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 of...

Send us a Text Sustainable 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 l...

Send us a Text 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. 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 o...

Send us a Text How tech drives quality residential asset management throughout market turbulence with Co-Founder of IMMO, Samantha Kempe and Anna Clare Harper In Anna's words: 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...

Send us a Text 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. In Anna's words: 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 an...

Send us a Text What the drive for building safety means for professionals and their liability with John Winter of Apex Insurance and Anna Clare Harper. In Anna's words: 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...

Send us a Text What’s happening in the UK rental market? With Richard Donnell, Executive Director at Zoopla and Anna Clare Harper. In Anna's words: 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)affordab...

Send us a Text Single Family Rental investment in Europe with Alexandra Thur, former founding team member at Blackstone-backed Invitation Homes & Anna Clare Harper. In Anna's words: 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...

Send us a Text Is this the end of property investment ‘for dummies’?  Anna Clare Harper discusses with Melanie Bien, award-winning PR specialist, former Finance Editor of the Independent, and property 'for dummies' author. In Anna's words: I sat down with Melanie Bien, award-winning PR specialist, former Personal Finance Editor of the Independent on Sunday, and author of four best-s...

Send us a Text Making Tax Digital with CEO and Founder of leading property finance platform, Hammock, Manoj Varsani MBE and Anna Clare Harper. In Anna's words: 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 ab...

Send us a Text 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. In Anna's words: 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 -...

Send us a Text Housing market trends with Head of UK Residential Research at Savills and leading housing market commentator Lucian Cook and Anna Clare Harper. In Anna's words: 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 th...

Send us a Text What’s happening in the UK rental market? With Richard Donnell, Executive Director at Zoopla and Anna Clare Harper In Anna's words: 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 indicat...

Send us a Text 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. In Anna's words: 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 Cha...

Send us a Text Dubai housing and ESG with Dr Michael Waters, Director of Studies for Real Estate at Heriott-Watt University and Anna Clare Harper In Anna's words: 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 ea...

Send us a Text Building new build housing at scale with Cedric Bucher, CEO of specialist PRS fund manager Hearthstone, and Anna Clare Harper. In Anna's words: 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 invest...

Send us a Text 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. In Anna's words: 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 Co...

Send us a Text UK’s first 100% renewable district heating scheme with Emma Fletcher, MD of Evera and Anna Clare Harper. In Anna's words: 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 pro...

Send us a Text Research vs practice in property with Professor Franz Fuerst, leading real estate academic at the University of Cambridge and Anna Clare Harper. In Anna's words: 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...

Send us a Text How software can solve the multi-trillion dollar waste problem with May Al-Karooni, Founder of Globechain, the leading ESG reporting and reuse marketplace worldwide and Anna Clare Harper. In Anna's words: Trillions of dollars of usable fixtures and fittings are thrown away each year. Most of us don’t even know the financial cost of this waste, let alone the environmental cost....

Send us a Text What does inflation mean for real estate investors? With Andrew Baum, internationally-respected real estate professional, academic and author and Anna Clare Harper. In Anna's words: To find out, I sat down with Andrew Baum, one of the most influential people in real estate and proptech. His credentials include being Chairman at Newcore Capital Management, Strategy Partner at Pi...