In this episode of Housing Unpacked, Tom Bill is joined by Alex Webster, Head of Lending at Coutts, for a discussion about wealth, lending and property at a time when political uncertainty and market volatility have become part of everyday life. With speculation mounting over tax policy, interest rates and the economic outlook, Alex explains why many wealthy buyers are continuing to transact and why, in her view, volatility has become the "new normal". The conversation explores how ultra-high-net-worth individuals think about property, debt and wealth creation, and why some of the assumptions people make about the prime market are often wrong.

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Real estate capital is increasingly targeting energy infrastructure, but why now, and what does it mean for traditional investors? 

In this episode, Will Matthews is joined by Nik Potter, Associate in Knight Frank's Capital Markets Insight team, and Flora Harley, Head of Energy and Sustainability Insight, to explore the rationale, the volumes and the returns shaping investment into energy infrastructure. They unpack the three megatrends pulling capital into the sector, and discuss why the fundamentals will feel familiar to traditional real estate investors.

The conversation also looks at the UK's infrastructure investment backlog, the policy backdrop, and how pension reform could unlock significant new capital. Listen for a grounded view on where energy infrastructure fits within the real assets universe.

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Produced by ⁠⁠⁠Rethink Audio⁠⁠⁠.

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What would a Burnham premiership mean in practice? In this episode of Housing Unpacked, Tom is joined by former Treasury special adviser James Nation to explore which policies will remain longer-term ambitions, and what is realistically deliverable in the near term.

Will a coronation create legitimacy concerns? Is an emergency Budget needed? And with fiscal wriggle room tight, who becomes Chancellor and how difficult is the job they inherit?

For the property market, there is a lot on the line. There is renewed speculation around CGT alignment with income tax, a familiar debate over the merits of a land value tax, and early signals on greater devolution of fiscal powers.

But each comes with big questions around how much revenue they raise, how quickly they can be delivered, and whether they survive contact with Treasury scrutiny.

Either way, Burnham will now be judged on what he does rather than what he says.

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After decades being shaped by global investors and rapid price growth, today’s market is more price-sensitive and domestically-driven. In this episode of Housing Unpacked, Tom Bill speaks with Anthony Payne, CEO and co-founder of LonRes, to examine what’s happening at the top end of London’s residential market. They discuss what LonRes data reveals about prices and transaction volumes across different markets and price points in the capital, the extent to which super-prime deals are still taking place and the rising number of fall-throughs. The conversation also explores whether the market is nearing a turning point or settling into a prolonged period of more muted growth and the one thing Anthony believes is needed to boost demand – and it’s not a stamp duty cut.

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The same dataset can look dramatically different depending on how it is visualised. Most charts are produced with good intent, but not all of them tell the full story, and some are designed not to. Knowing how to spot the difference could change how you read every market report you pick up.

In this episode of Commercially Minded, Will Matthews, Knight Frank's Head of Commercial Insight, is joined by Seb Jones, Senior Analyst in Knight Frank's Modelling and Intelligence team, to examine how data visualisation shapes the conclusions that property professionals reach. They explore everything from innocent design failures that accidentally misdirect, to techniques that can steer readers towards conclusions the data does not support.

If you want to know how to spot the signs that a chart is misleading you, and what questions to ask before you form a view, this is the episode to listen to.

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Produced by ⁠⁠Rethink Audio⁠⁠.

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Tom is joined by Helen Thomas, CEO of Blonde Money, to unpack the political shockwaves around Andy Burnham’s attempt to become an MP, the growing tension between government policy and bond markets, and what it means for mortgages and property prices. With inflation risks building from energy disruption and markets wary of looser fiscal policy, they explore why mortgage rates may stay higher for longer and what a potential leadership change - or even an early election - could mean for the housing market. Against such a fast-moving backdrop, they explore the merits of fixing a mortgage for two or five years.

⁠Subscribe⁠⁠ ⁠to Tom Bill's UK Residential Outlook, for all the latest properties, exclusive market analysis, news and data.

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On this episode of Housing Unpacked, Tom Bill is joined by Peter Murray OBE, co‑founder of New London Architecture, founder of the London Festival of Architecture and a former design adviser to two London Mayors. As he prepares his own run for London Mayor in 2028 as an independent, Murray explains the tipping point behind his decision to enter politics, driven by what he sees as a lack of understanding in City Hall about the mayor’s responsibility to deliver homes, infrastructure and better streets. He sets out his “get stuff done” philosophy, arguing that housing delivery in London has been choked by uncertainty, slow planning and strained relations with the development sector. Drawing on decades of experience across architecture, journalism and real estate, Murray outlines proposals to accelerate housing delivery, revive SME builders, restore certainty for investors, and bring design back to the top table through a City Architect. The conversation also covers density, tall buildings, affordability, transport reform, road pricing and what a more pragmatic, delivery‑focused mayor could mean for London’s future.

⁠Subscribe⁠⁠⁠ to Tom Bill's UK Residential Outlook, for all the latest properties, exclusive market analysis, news and data.

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The innovation sector is widely seen as one of the UK's biggest economic opportunities, and the signals are hard to ignore: OpenAI is establishing a permanent presence in London, US AI companies are expanding their European footprint in the capital, and innovation clusters are emerging across UK cities well beyond the Golden Triangle. But is the real estate industry reading those signals correctly?

In this episode, Will Matthews is joined by Jennifer Townsend, a partner in Knight Frank's Occupier Insight team, to explore what the real estate industry often gets wrong about measuring innovation demand, and what better metrics look like in practice. From funding as a leading indicator of space requirements, to AI clusters building momentum in cities like Edinburgh, Leeds and Manchester, the discussion examines how to understand where demand is heading, not just where it has been.

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Produced by ⁠⁠Rethink Audio⁠⁠.

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In this episode of Housing Unpacked, Tom is joined by Louisa Sedgwick, managing director of mortgages at buy-to-let specialist lender Paragon Bank to explore the Renters’ Rights Act and what it really means for landlords and tenants. They discuss her involvement lobbying two separate governments on issues like the end of Section 21, the shift to periodic tenancies, tighter controls around asking rents, and why well‑intentioned reforms may squeeze supply, push rents higher, and disadvantage more vulnerable renters. The conversation also explores the recent mortgage market shock caused by the Middle East conflict and the looming challenge of meeting new energy efficiency standards.

⁠⁠Subscribe⁠⁠⁠ to Tom Bill's UK Residential Outlook, for all the latest properties, exclusive market analysis, news and data.

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