Intelligence Talks

What would happen if the rich left the UK? In this episode of Intelligence Talks, host Tom Bill is joined by Leslie McLeod-Miller, CEO of Foreign Investors for Britain to dig into what the governments changes in taxation mean for non-doms, and what the knock on affect could be for the rest of the country.

Listen to find out what Leslie thinks needs to happen to keep money in the UK and what impact tax changes are already having on the UK prime market.

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This week; sticky inflation, bond market reactions, and the government's role in the property market. We look at recent economic data showing weak growth and high inflation, and try to unpick the implications for the housing market such as increased supply and mortgage rates, and the challenges faced by policymakers.

We also look at the US trade deals and Federal Reserve decisions, providing insights into how these factors could affect both the UK and global economies. Host Tom Bill is joined by seasoned financial market analyst Michael Brown from Pepperstone to give some clarity amidst economic...

This week we discuss how global market volatility is reshaping investment strategies, specifically on the growing popularity of the built to rent sector. Special guests Nick Pleydell-Bouverie, Head of Residential Investment, and Lizzie Breckner, Head of Build to Rent Research, highlight significant milestones, such as a rise in single family and co-living investments, and discuss the impact of policy changes and construction challenges on the sector. 

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This week, head of UK residential research Tom Bill is joined by financial market strategist Michael Brown from Pepperstone to assess the state of the UK housing market at the halfway point of the year. With the Bank of England cutting rates twice in the first six months of 2025, Michael explains why more cuts could be on the way before Christmas. They also unpack what the end of Donald Trump’s 90-day tariff pause could mean for the UK, and how recent weak economic data is shaping expectations for interest rates. Plus, they explore the government’s shrinking financial headroom ahea...

This week we unpack the evolving UK planning landscape. From the implications of Gateway Two and the Building Safety Act to recent updates in the National Planning Policy Framework. Host Katie O'Neill is joined by Chris Benham, Oliver Knight, and Alan McCartney to explore what these changes mean for developers, investors, and the future of urban delivery. They also dive into the shifting role of amenity spaces—why practicality is taking priority over luxury. Plus, don’t miss the 'Bullish and Bearish' segment, where the guests share what’s driving their optimism or caution in London’s housing market.

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We explore how Britain could benefit from a rise in international students after Trump’s second presidency. We also delve into the latest UCAS application data for 2025, plus key investment and development trends. Anna is joined by Neil Armstrong and Merelina Sykes, joint heads of Knight Frank student property.

Produced by Ollie Peart at Rethink Audio.

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Housing markets around the world have faced strong headwinds since the pandemic boom period. Household finances and purchasing power fell under pressure from surging household bills and higher borrowing costs, and the outlook for interest rates remains murky at best. So, what does the year ahead have in store for house prices in the UK and more broadly in Europe?  

Host Anna Ward is joined by Knight Frank's head of UK residential research, Tom Bill, head of European residential research, Kate Everett Allen and head of ESG research, Flora Harley.  

The panel are quiz...

After a challenging year, what is the outlook for UK commercial real estate in 2025 and has the market turned a corner?

Anna is joined by our UK head of commercial research, Will Matthews, London research head Shabab Qadar and associate in retail research Emma Barnstable.  

We hear from Emma on how attitudes towards the retail sector are the most positive they have been for years, with retail the best performing mainstream property asset class in 2024. Two-thirds of the Top 300 retailers are rated low-risk. Despite this, investment volumes last year fell short of

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In this episode, we delve into the results of our new Knight Frank Alpine Property Report. Anna is joined by our head of European residential research, Kate Everett-Allen, and partner Alex Koch de Gooryend, to examine the key drivers currently of demand for Alpine properties from declining mortgage rates, tax changes and an increase in year-round amenities.  

The report highlights a 3% increase in property values in Alpine markets over the past year. While this is down from the pandemic peak, growth remains above long-run trend rates. The discussion also delves into geographical tre...

UK students are struggling to find housing and demand for accommodation is soaring. Supply is failing to keep up, causing rents to rise on average by around 8% this year, according to the latest Knight Frank data.

So what's going on? How can universities, developers, and investors collaborate more effectively to tackle the supply crunch? What emerging trends will shape the future of student housing in 2025 and beyond? From the race for high-quality accommodations to the evolving expectations of Gen Z students—this conversation is a must-listen for anyone navigating the student property market.  

Anna...

We take a look at the key risks facing UK housing and retail markets in the aftermath of the Autumn Budget. We focus on the threats and opportunities for both sectors following the biggest rises in taxes at a budget since 1993.

Will mortgage rates stay higher for longer as a result? Plus, does the Budget really just spell bad news for the high street or will we see a retail renaissance?  

Anna is joined by Knight Frank’s head of UK housing research Tom Bill and head of UK retail research, Stephen Springham. Stay...

You potentially won’t be able to let an office in the UK without an EPC A-B by as soon as 2030. So how can London’s office landlords prepare effectively for this energy efficiency deadline? Currently, 70% of commercial property floor space is rated EPC C or below across England & Wales. So getting ahead of potential future regulation could mean a first-mover advantage, particularly where there is a demand and supply imbalance.

To unpick this complex topic, Anna is joined by Flora Harley, Knight Frank’s head of ESG research, and Harriet Hicks, ESG consultant at the property agency...

Co-living is a small but growing trend in UK cities, driven by urbanisation, rising housing costs, and the need for community in an age of digital isolation. Experts from Knight Frank explore the investment landscape, government policies, demographic appeal, and future prospects of co-living compared to traditional student accommodation. The conversation covers topics such as policy evolution, investment trends, and the challenges and opportunities in the sector.

Host Anna Ward discusses this and more with guests Chris Benham, Oliver Knight and Katie O’Neill.

For more, please see Knight Frank’s 2024 Co-living Report here...

What is the current state of the London office market and how will the next six months pan out?

Knight Frank's Head of London Research Shabab Qadar joins host Anna Ward to discuss market activity and what is coming next for development activity and investment in the capital’s office sector. They discuss how a future supply crunch could impact the market, where the new emerging office districts will be, to what extent repurposing will feature in the market and how much stock will shift to other uses.

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Rachel Reeves used her first speech as chancellor to reverse some Conservative housing policy following a Labour landslide. But aside from bringing back local housing targets, how else will the government get Britain building again? In this episode our expert panel dive into getting the balance right between net-zero goals and extensive housebuilding plans, the need for renewable energy and regulatory certainty, and how the UK and European residential markets compare.

Also, if you had £50 million, where should you put that money right now in residential real estate?

Host Anna Ward disc...

In this episode of 'Intelligence Talks,' host Anna Ward discusses the potential implications of Labour and Conservative election pledges on the commercial real estate market with Will Matthews, Shabab Qadar, and Stephen Springham from Knight Frank’s research team. They examine current market conditions, and key manifesto proposals on finance, investment, tax, business rates, and planning laws.  

What will be the impact of these policies on key UK commercial real estate sectors from offices to retail? And how will investment volumes turn out by the end of 2024 compared to last year? All that, plus hear how ea...

Is London tapped out or are there still great development opportunities in the capital? This week Anna Ward is joined by James Barton and Nick Alderman from Knight Frank's development land team. 

In this episode, they explore where the new residential development opportunities might be, from Battersea to Hackney Wick. They also discuss who will be building these projects, the return of developers to the land market, as well as the withdrawal of housing associations, as well as the latest findings from Knight Frank’s poll of 50 volume and SME housebuilders. And the key challen...

In this episode we look at how local councils in the UK are responding to the housing needs of our senior population. In real estate terms, the seniors housing sector is a small but rapidly growing part of the market – but is a lack of planning and awareness holding it back, and what does the country need to do to scale up delivery?

Anna is joined by Irwin Mitchell planning partner Nicola Gooch, who specializes in mixed use regeneration projects and enabling developments, and Andrew Sandison, senior research analyst at Knight Frank, who produces research on the UK s...

The Spring Budget at a glance, plus what else could be coming down the tracks from a property perspective before the UK general election…

Anna is joined by a trio of experts from our research team including Knight Frank's head of UK residential Tom Bill, head of UK retail Stephen Springham and head of ESG Flora Harley.

They share their takes on the March Budget, what is likely to happen next, and what they’d like to see change after the election across housing, retail and net zero.

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From student bed shortages to net zero dilemmas in property redevelopment, this episode provides a snapshot of the UK’s housing landscape. The living sectors alone can’t fix Britain’s housing crisis, but momentum is building. The country needs more decent and well managed private-rented housing, as well as more options for students and seniors.

Investors have taken note: total volumes into UK BTR, student and senior living hit nearly £10bn last year, below the record £15bn in 2022 – but well above pre-Covid levels.

Anna is joined by Lizzie Breckner, Katie O'Neill and Sam Heffron.

They d...

In our first episode of 2024, we talk about Britain’s laboratory shortage, with start-ups actively searching for lab space amid a dearth of supply. Anna Ward is joined by Knight Frank partner and life sciences specialist Jennifer Townsend to discuss the growth of the UK’s £90bn health and life sciences sector. In London alone, the city is struggling to provide biotech and life sciences entrepreneurs with the research space they need. Knight Frank data shows that demand for lab space in the capital stands at 793,000 sq ft, while availability is just 179,295 sq ft – less than a quarter of current...

For our final episode of the year, we look at Knight Frank’s predictions for residential and commercial property in 2024... 

For a UK take, Anna speaks to Tom Bill, head of UK residential research, Shabab Qadar, London research partner and Flora Harley, head of ESG research. Anna is also joined by our global head of research Liam Bailey, head of UK commercial Will Matthews and head of global residential research Kate Everett Allen to discuss global themes. 

They share their key predictions for 2024, explore to what extent and how quickly real estate m...

With global residential rents surging at three and a half times their pre-pandemic rate, Liam Bailey speaks to New York property guru Jonathan Miller to assess where rental markets are headed in that city as we move towards 2024.

https://content.knightfrank.com/research/357/documents/en/prime-global-rental-index-q3-2023-10751.pdf

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Anna speaks to Knight Frank rural surveyor Steph Small and Irwin Mitchell partner Sam Knight to find out more about the nutrient mitigation market, which the government just announced fresh funding for.

Natural England has established its own nutrient mitigation scheme; however, this is currently only available to developers in the Tees catchment in the North East of England and there is a limited number of credits available.

For those developers unable to access this scheme, the only other option is the embryonic private market or relying on their own mitigation methods from wetlands to...

In our latest Ski Property Report, a third of respondents to our sentiment survey said the long-term resilience of a ski resort is very important to them and influences their decision on where to buy. In this episode of Intelligence Talks, we look at the impact of climate change on Alpine property markets. Anna speaks to Kate Everett-Allen, head of global residential research at Knight Frank, and international residential partner Alex Koch de Gooreynd.

They discuss how ski resorts are innovating to respond to snow shortages as well as driving more tourism through a broader range of...

Rishi Sunak may have weakened a number of green commitments, but the property sector is pressing on with key net zero priorities. From residential to commercial buildings, Britain’s built environment currently accounts for a quarter of the country’s carbon footprint. Developers are exploring ways to build more energy efficient homes that can withstand the most extreme climates. Meanwhile, property investors are more concerned than ever about ESG due diligence, with a growing focus on how buildings are performing now rather than just understanding their future potential. Anna speaks to Barratt’s technical and innovation director, Oliver Novakovic, who is...

The build-to-rent market has made serious inroads into Britain’s property sector, with the number of completed units more than tripling to over 82,000 units in the last five years. While the scale of this remains small relative to overall housing delivery, all signs point to a strong growth trajectory ahead. 

But how do the completed schemes measure up so far? 

To find out, Knight Frank has launched a new Resident Experience Index alongside UK property developer Moda which, for the first time, provides some insight into how resident experience drives investment value across the sector. It t...

Britain is facing a looming supply crunch for new homes. In this episode, we explore how housebuilders and developers across the ‘living sectors’, including student, seniors, build to rent, and single-family housing, are responding to the current economic uncertainty and high cost of debt. Anna speaks to Knight Frank partner and head of development partnerships Charlie Dugdale, and associate in our living investment research team, Katie O’Neill. 

They also discuss how the current economic slowdown is impacting the ‘absorption rate’ - the number of homes that can be sold into the market in a particular period - how maste...

While global real estate markets are feeling the pinch from higher interest rates, the branded residences market is enjoying something of an upswing. Liam Bailey is joined by The Four Season’s James Price to unpack the data on a sector set to grow by 12% per year globally each year up to 2026.

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Where does it make sense to refurbish offices to higher environmental standards and to what extent will obsolete offices see a change of use to residential? Across London, approximately 140m sq ft of office space has an EPC rating below grade C, a recent Knight Frank study showed, a figure which represents 51% of total office floorspace. Under current government proposals, commercial properties must have an EPC rating of C or higher by 1 April 2027. In this podcast, Anna Ward is joined by two Knight Frank experts focused on this very issue – our head of London research Shabab Qadar, and our head of p...

Liam Bailey talks to Knight Frank’s rural experts Isabel Swift and Andrew Shirley to understand a burgeoning new property asset class. 

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Liam is joined by Knight Frank’s head of debt advisory - Lisa Attenborough - to assess the fallout for developers and investors from

rolling banking turmoil.

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The Knight Frank research team take apart Wednesday’s budget, discuss the SVB collapse, and consider outlook for the UK base rate – with some bold predictions.

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The wealthy are moving, and competition to attract them (and their tax revenue) is rising. Liam Bailey speaks to leading mobility expert Kristin Surak. Kristin’s research on golden passports, international migration, nationalism, and politics has been translated into a half-dozen languages, and her latest book, The Golden Passport: Global Mobility for Millionaires, will be published by Harvard University Press in 2023.

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Liam speaks to Janine Cole from GPE and Will Matthews to uncover the economic and green challenges and opportunities from retrofitting office buildings.

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If you thought you would be working at home five days a week - Lee Elliot has some bad news for you. Lee explains to your host Liam Bailey why the office market has never been more active, more innovative and more creative. It’s time to dust off the business casual and fight for your hot desk.

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The team assess what the latest UK government report on net zero means for property, and discuss whether ESG is fit for purpose or whether a simpler approach might help meet industry objectives.

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Our 2022 season ends with a Christmas special with the Knight Frank research team bringing you a review of the key risks and opportunities for property investors during the year ahead. 

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In this week's episode, Liam Bailey and Kate Everett-Allen take the pulse of the world’s luxury housing markets and set out the new 2023 Knight Frank Global Residential Forecast.

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The Knight Frank research team unpick the Chancellor's statement and consider the implications for the housing market - including a bold forecast for the UK base rate!

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