The Viking Chats: navigating the choppy waters of property, technology and business

In this incendiary episode of The Viking Chats , Kristjan Byfield sits down with the remarkable Ellie Rees  - co-founder of Brickworks , creator of the viral #DearSirs campaign, and one of the most fearless voices in the UK property industry. What follows is less of an interview and more of a manifesto. A rallying cry. A challenge to the entire real estate sector to stop making excuses and start d...

In this compelling episode of The Viking Chat , Kristjan Byfield welcomes industry powerhouse Julie Ford of Lettings Advice Service for a conversation that might just change the way you view rent arrears, evictions, and the entire tenant-landlord dynamic. With over 30 years in housing, local authority liaison, tenant support, and compliance, Julie Ford brings a razor-sharp perspective on the bigge...

In this eye-opening episode of The Viking Chat , Kristjan Byfield sits down with Steve Eakins from Lumon , one of the property industry's best-kept secrets. Whether you're in lettings, sales, property management, or Build to Rent, this is the episode you didn't know you needed — and one you’ll never forget. With over two decades of experience in currency markets and international pr...

🎧 Episode: “Beyond the Deal: Mental Health, Masculinity & Making Peace” What happens when the outward trappings of success start to smother the person behind the title? In one of the most raw, powerful and deeply human episodes of The Viking Chats to date, Kristjan Byfield sits down with Chris Webb —Founder of The Estate Agent Consultancy and a long-time leader in the UK residential agency sp...

🎧 Episode: “Brand, Balls & Breaking the Mould: Property as It Should Be” If you’re tired of property podcasts that play it safe, this one’s for you. In this energetic and unfiltered episode of The Viking Chats , Kristjan Byfield is joined by Dan Marsden , founder of the award-winning brand agency Marsden & Co. , and a force of nature when it comes to brand-first thinking in the property s...

In this fast-paced, laugh-out-loud, and insight-packed episode of The Viking Chats , Kristjan Byfield is joined by Chris England , co-founder and creative director of PVS Media —the content agency helping estate and letting agents rethink what property marketing can be. From the very first minute, Chris brings the energy, honesty and sharp creative thinking that has made PVS Media a go-to for agen...

🎙️ Women in Agency, Pride in Property & the Power of People In this unfiltered , hilarious , and genuinely moving episode of The Viking Chats , I sit down with the inimitable Amy Shields —a name that’s become synonymous with leadership, allyship, and transformation in UK estate agency. Whether you know her from her 16-year career as a high-flying agent , her pivotal role at Smart Compliance ,...

🎙 Episode Title: Legacy, Leadership & Lettings: Ben Moser on Culture, Confidence & Social Change In this episode of The Viking Chats , Kristjan Byfield sits down with Ben Moser —Director of Operations at Petermans Estate Agents, Managing Director of Petermans Housing Initiatives, and a Volunteer Mentor at Agents Together—for an open, vulnerable, and thought-provoking conversation that cuts...

In this deeply personal and brilliantly insightful episode of The Viking Chats , Kristjan Byfield sits down with Wendy Peterman—Managing Director of Petermans estate agents—for a conversation that reaches far beyond floorplans, fee structures and portals. Wendy is one of the most authentic and quietly powerful voices in our industry today. As the second generation to take the reins at her family-r...

In this candid and explosive episode of The Viking Chats , Kristjan Byfield sits down with the ever-outspoken Russell Quirk , property PR maverick, founder of eMoov, and one of the most polarising voices in the UK residential property scene. If you’re a decision maker in estate agency, lettings, property management, or a serious residential investor—especially in London—this is an episode you cann...

In this special episode of The Viking Chats , Kristjan Byfield sits down with fellow Base Property Specialists & The Depositary co-founder and industry icon An Deckers (aka Big Red) for a reflective and revealing look at what actually matters in the property industry—and why showing up still makes all the difference. Fresh from the Kerfuffle Conference and the Agents Giving Ball , Kristjan and...

In this electric episode of The Viking Chats , Kristjan Byfield is joined by none other than Neil Cobbold—industry heavyweight, tech evangelist, landlord, Drum & Bass DJ, and true rock superfan—to unpack what’s really going on behind the scenes in UK lettings, PropTech, and beyond. You might know Neil as the Managing Director of Reapit, or from his long tenure as the voice of PayProp. But in t...

In this unmissable episode of The Viking Chats , Kristjan Byfield sits down with Mark McCorrie—founder of Made Snappy 360 and the innovator behind the integration tool GlueDog—for a no-holds-barred deep dive into the tangled, chaotic, and often comical world of PropTech in the UK property industry. If you've ever felt frustrated by the sheer number of logins, dashboards, and disconnected syst...

In this episode of The Viking Chats , Kristjan Byfield sits down with the brilliantly unfiltered Ben Madden—Principal Director at Fine & Country, founder of Digital Sparks, and all-around champion for doing estate agency differently. Titled “The Unfiltered Agent: Ben Madden on Authenticity, Leadership, and Agency Without the Fluff” , this episode is a straight-talking deep dive into what’s bro...

In this episode of The Viking Chats , Kristjan Byfield is joined by the powerhouse behind Liberty Blue, Regina Mangan, for a vibrant and unfiltered discussion that every forward-thinking letting and estate agency leader needs to hear. Titled “It’s Not a Secret: Why the Best Letting Agents Share Everything” , this episode dives headfirst into one of the industry’s most overlooked superpowers: colla...

In this powerful episode of The Viking Chats , Kristjan Byfield is joined by the sharp, funny, and endlessly insightful Toby Martin—a former agent turned consultant who’s on a mission to help agencies thrive in a tech-powered world. This episode isn’t just about AI—it’s about how you, your team, and your business can stay ahead of the curve, remain unmistakably human, and stop sounding like every...

In this special anniversary edition of The Viking Chats, Kristjan is joined by his "work wife" and Base Property (and The Depositary) co-founder An Deckers to celebrate a huge milestone—21 years of running one of London’s most distinctive and award-winning independent lettings agencies. Expect laughter, honesty, a little nostalgia, and a masterclass in how to build a values-led business...

In this razor-sharp episode of The Viking Chats , Kristjan Byfield sits down with one of PropTech’s original pioneers—Mal McCallion—to unpack the message every UK letting agent, estate agent and landlord needs to hear: AI isn’t coming. It’s already here. And if you’re not on board? You’re at risk of being left behind. 🧠 From PrimeLocation to Prophetic Predictions With 24+ years in property and te...

In this episode of The Viking Chats , Kristjan Byfield welcomes Nick Lyons, founder of No Letting Go and Kaptur Software, to dive deep into the evolution of the inventory sector—and how technology, AI, and data are reshaping it for agents, landlords, and property managers across the UK. 🚀 From early dictaphones and manually edited Word docs to a national franchise network processing 10,000 report...

Hold onto your helmets, Vikings — in this latest voyage across the turbulent seas of property, technology and business, Kristjan Byfield welcomes a true industry legend (or should we say lovable rogue?): Simon Whale , known for his time at Reapit , his antics with Kerfuffle , and for generally causing "productive chaos" in the world of PropTech and estate agency. In this epic chat, Krist...

In this powerhouse episode of Viking Chat , industry trailblazer Kristjan Byfield sits down with Tim Frome, legal and compliance heavyweight from Hamilton Fraser, for a deep dive into the ever-evolving landscape of the private rented sector (PRS). Buckle up for a fast-paced, insight-rich ride through the trends, tensions, and tectonic shifts affecting agents, landlords, and tenants alike. Tim unpa...

Are you stuck in a loop of “free valuations” , “stunning homes” , and “professional photography” ? Do your marketing materials look suspiciously like your competitors’? Then buckle up, because this episode of Viking Chat might just blow the doors off your agency's entire approach to branding. This week, Kristjan Byfield – industry troublemaker and Base Property founder – is joined by the ever...

In this engaging episode of The Viking Chats , Kristjan Byfield—co-founder of The Depositary and self-proclaimed industry innovator—sits down with the brilliant Vicky Bibiris, Managing Director at award-winning agency Location Location, to explore one of the most underappreciated yet transformative elements of running a successful agency: process . Let’s face it—“process” doesn’t always sound exci...

In this powerful first episode of our new conversation series, Kristjan Byfield—co-founder of The Depositary & base property specilaists—sits down with Sian Metcalfe, Operations Director at Inventory Base, to unpack a fascinating and timely question: Can property technology (PropTech) actually help estate agents become more human? Too often, PropTech is dismissed as cold or impersonal—seen as...