In on the Act kicks off its 2024 series with a deep dive into the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill.

Part of the government’s commitment to leasehold reform, the Bill was introduced in November 2023 and is now working its way through the Parliamentary process.

To unpack its detail, EG’s Sarah Jackman is joined by Stephen Jourdan KC, barrister at Falcon Chambers, who sets the scene by discussing the drivers for leasehold reform and recent work undertaken by the Law Commission in the area.

He then details the main provisions set out in the Bill, including changes to the lease extension term for houses and flats, as well as covering other elements such as the administration of service charges and buildings insurance costs. He also highlights the Bill’s omissions, notably commonhold and a ban on new leasehold property.

But with a general election looming, how likely is the Bill to make it onto the statute books in 2024?

Welcome to The School of Hard Knocks, a new six-part series brought to you by EG Property Podcasts that will off up a bounty of lessons from those who have experienced a rough time or two that will enable us to better navigate the tough times ahead.

Over the course of this series, we’ll meet people who have lived through some of the highs and lows of this wonderful business of real estate and through our conversations we will dig deep into the skills, the mindsets and the structures you need in place to successfully navigate tricky times.

Joining EG editor Samantha McClary for our second lesson in the School of Hard Knocks curriculum is Lynda Shillaw, the chief executive of Harworth Group who very nearly let her 18-year old self’s dream pass her by.

With decades of experience in a range of different businesses from BT, to Scottish Widows, Manchester Property Group and Town Centre Securities, Lynda shares her story of the ups and downs of deal making, regeneration and very nearly deciding to take it a little bit easier.

The conversation is packed with insights and intelligence and tips of how to make it through the tough times and rides the waves well, with people, planning and persistence all featuring heavily.

So, sit back, get your pen and paper ready, because it is time to enrol yourself in EG’s School of Hard Knocks. Listen hard and enjoy.

EG’s Sarah Jackman welcomes the CEO of the Chartered Surveyor’s Training Trust, Terry Watts, back to the podcast to discuss its latest initiatives.

They catch up on the My Environment, My Future schools programme and how that’s now reached over 500 teachers; the launch of its latest schools competition (see its website at https://www.cstt.org.uk/Home/My-Environment-My-Future for more details); and the plans it has to be even more ambitious in helping new talent into the profession in 2024.

The politics and real estate podcast ends the year with EG's Piers Wehner and former housing minister Mark Prisk looking back over some highlights and themes of 2023, while looking ahead to 2024.

(This podcast has been republished following a technical issue)

Sarah Jackman and Jess Harrold count down EG's official list of the most important property law cases of the year - featuring a strong showing from the Supreme Court in what has been a busy 2023 for the highest court.

The cases covered include major developments in planning, service charges, the growing impact of the Building Safety Act 2022 and the law of nuisance – but what will take the coveted number one slot?

Sarah Jackman is joined by Guy Fetherstonhaugh KC, barrister at Falcon Chambers, to discuss the legislative developments that have had the biggest effect during 2023.

Fetherstonhaugh addresses the continuing "huge impact" of the Building Safety Act 2022, which has continued to sire a stream of secondary legislation this year, and is beginning to lead to a number of cases.

Turning to residential reform, he addresses proposals in the Renters (Reform) Bill and the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill.

In addition, Fetherstonhaugh tackles the implications for landlords of the recently enacted Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023, and the massive significance of the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard regulations.

But what are his thoughts on continuing litigation under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 and its upcoming scrutiny by the Law Commission - and what legislative change would he most like to find in his Christmas stocking?

Welcome to The School of Hard Knocks, a new six-part series brought to you by EG Property Podcasts that will off up a bounty of lessons from those who have experienced a rough time or two that will enable us to better navigate the tough times ahead.

Over the course of this series, we’ll meet people who have lived through some of the highs and lows of this wonderful business of real estate and through our conversations we will dig deep into the skills, the mindsets and the structures you need in place to successfully navigate tricky times.

Joining EG editor Samantha McClary as our first scholar in the school of Hard Knocks is Kevin McCabe, the Sheffield-born businessman who set up Scarborough Group, growing the company from zero to a £2bn business.

With decades of experience under his belt – some big highs and some low lows – Kevin tells us how his journey began with knowing what he didn’t want to do and how he grew a successful business by making sure he seized the opportunities that came his way, built trust with partners, made sure he knew all the ins and outs of the business and was wise enough to know exactly when things started to feel too good to be true.

So, sit back, get your pen and paper ready, because it is time to enrol yourself in EG’s School of Hard Knocks. Listen hard and enjoy because graduation promises a better grounding to navigate any knocks the economy may throw your way, this year or the next.

This latest episode of Bricks & Mortar features Jones Hargreaves senior associate partner, Sammi Johnstone, discussing her route into real estate and what she loves about surveying. 

As she prepares to return to Scotland and head up Jones Hargreaves new Glasgow office, she tells EG's Sarah Jackman why she made the decision to change career into real estate, how her career has evolved since and the joy she derives from the role, not least the variety.

On the latest weekly round-up, Jess Harrold is joined by senior writers, Julia Cahill and Piers Wehner to discuss the latest news in real estate.

Wehner tackles the 35% rise in planning fees for major projects and the industry reaction that suggests it does not go far enough to meet the funding gap that is slowing down our planning system - and threatening the finances of our beleaguered local authorities.

Cahill dives into worrying findings in the latest RICS Global Sustainability Report that suggests the real estate industry prizes profit over principles - and Wehner sees that bleak news and raises a UK Green Building Council report warning that the industry is “significantly off-track” from the trajectory required to meet the UK’s national net zero commitments.

Can the long-awaited return of the quiz of the week lift the collective gloom?

To meet both national and global decarbonisation targets there is a crucial need to improve the condition of existing real estate stock.

Embracing the core principles of the three Rs – reduce, reuse, recycle – should play a big part in real estate ESG strategies.

In this EG podcast we will hear how Hollis has created its own version of the three Rs to review decarbonisation through reduction, renovation and renewables.

We will investigate how reduction can optimise existing systems to perform as efficiently as possible and explore the potential of renovation in prolonging the lifecycle of a building and enhancing the operational performance of estates.

Finally, we’ll delve into whether achieving net zero targets necessitates a strong emphasis on on-site renewable energy generation.