Each Quarter Myself, Manish Kataria and Adam Lawrence pick a financial product such as Stocks, Bonds, ETF's etc. We explain reasoning for our choices and open the conversation up to the others for critique.

While we are invested in these products this is not investment advice!

What we talked about...

Bond Investment Strategy Discussion

Adam discussed his investment strategy, focusing on bonds as a hedge against potential market volatility and inflation. He highlighted the tax advantages of investing in Gilts and the current attractive yields compared to other investment options. Rod asked questions about Adam's approach, including how to buy bonds and what would change his mind about the strategy. Manish provided additional insights, emphasizing the role of bonds and gold as hedges for stock portfolios and the tax efficiency of investing in single Gilts.

Israel: Attractive Tech Investment Destination

Manish discussed the performance of global stock markets, highlighting that while the US market reached record highs in 2024, investors should not be deterred by this as it is a normal occurrence. He suggested Israel as an alternative investment destination for tech stocks, noting its strong performance over the past two years despite geopolitical concerns. Manish explained that Israel's high research and development spending, strong tech sector, and defence spending make it an attractive option for global diversification, particularly for those concerned about US currency risk.

Market Timing and Investment Strategy

Rod and Manish discussed the investment potential of a market with strong fundamentals, including high productivity growth and a concentration of academic skills and startups. Rod expressed concern about timing, wondering if the market was already priced in and if it was too late to invest. Manish acknowledged this risk but viewed it as a good momentum play, suggesting that geopolitical concerns could provide opportunities for accumulation. Adam agreed with this perspective, noting that momentum has proven to be a successful investment factor and that staying out of the market could be more challenging than making a calculated risk.

India ETF Investment Strategy

Rod presents his investment pick, an ETF tracking the Indian market (ticker IIND). He explains that he has invested in this for a few years and believes it's currently well-priced after a pullback. Rod cites India's fast-growing economy, favorable demographics with many young people, an expanding middle class, and a high number of millionaires as reasons for his choice. He views India's young demographic as positive for productivity and overall growth potential.

Rod discussed the long-term prospects of investing in India, highlighting its strong fundamentals, including a growing finance sector and a young, educated workforce. He noted concerns about currency risk due to the Indian rupee being priced in US dollars and the volatility of the market. Adam agreed with the long-term potential of India, comparing it to China 25 years ago, but expressed uncertainty about the timing of the investment. Manish, who also owns India, supported the long-term view, citing demographics and potential benefits from global trade dynamics, while acknowledging the currency risk for sterling-based investors.

Investment Picks and Performance Review

The group discussed investment picks and performance, with Rod sharing his successful April pick of URNG, which gained 91% since then. Manish recommended the Framlington ETF over the more expensive alternative due to its lower expense ratio of 0.2%, and mentioned he would consider trimming his position in the crypto-related ETF BLK due to recent strong performance. Adam expressed a preference for long-term buy-and-hold investing focused on fundamental value.

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How can a £275 million property portfolio save UK taxpayers £75 million a year AND deliver stable, inflation-linked returns for investors?

It’s not a hypothetical question. It's the reality of the specialist supported housing sector.

In this deep-dive episode of The Rodcast, I sit down with Ben Green and Adrian D'enrico from Atrato Capital, the new investment advisors to the Social Housing REIT. They reveal the inside story of their transition from managing supermarket-backed assets to taking the helm of a nationwide portfolio providing essential, adapted homes for the UK's most vulnerable adults.

We explore everything from the financial mechanics of a REIT structure and the benefits of daily liquidity on the London Stock Exchange, to the operational reality of managing 494 properties and the critical importance of achieving 90% occupancy.

If you are an investor looking to understand a sector with a genuine social impact, backed by government funding and long-term, inflation-linked leases, this conversation is unmissable.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL DISCOVER:

The Big Switch: Why Atrato Capital pivoted from supermarket income to social housing.

A Deeper Purpose: A look inside the world of specially supported housing and the positive impact it has on residents' lives.

The Financial Nuts & Bolts: The advantages of the REIT structure, their current debt strategy, and how they approach property valuation.

On the Ground Reality: The operational challenges of managing a nationwide portfolio, from annual inspections to achieving EPC compliance.

Navigating the Market: How they are tackling inflation, managing rent adjustments, and deciding between share buybacks and new investments.

KEY INSIGHTS & STRATEGIES DISCUSSED:

The strategic push to improve occupancy rates from 86% to 90%.

The operational necessity of conducting over 200 property inspections annually.

Why strong relationships with care providers are mission-critical.

Tackling the 2030 EPC compliance deadline.

The capital allocation dilemma: Share buybacks vs. new property investments.

Don't forget to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and hit the NOTIFICATION BELL so you never miss an episode of The Rodcast!

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Is the UK High Street dead, or is it on the verge of its greatest comeback?

In this episode of The Rodcast, Rod Turner sits down with a true champion of British retail, Alex Schlagman, the founder of Save The High Street & Together Futures. They dive deep into the real challenges and surprising opportunities facing our town centres today.

Forget what you think you know about empty shops and the "threat" of e-commerce. Alex reveals how digital-first brands are now desperately seeking physical stores, why empty spaces are a golden ticket for regeneration, and how investors are finding significant returns in unexpected places.

From competitive socialising and flexible workspaces to the AI platform helping small businesses thrive against the odds, this conversation is packed with actionable insights for investors, business owners, and anyone passionate about the future of their local community.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL DISCOVER:

From Threat to Opportunity: How e-commerce is now fuelling a return to physical retail.

Beyond Shopping: Why the future high street is a diverse mix of F&B, leisure, and innovative commercial spaces.

The AI Revolution for Small Business: An introduction to Thriver, the AI-powered platform helping small businesses manage 143 essential tasks.

Investing in the Comeback: Where savvy investors are finding success and the hands-on asset management strategies that work.

The Council's Role: How local authorities can become powerful partners in regeneration and economic growth.

---

**KEY TAKEAWAYS & ACTIONABLE ADVICE:**

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* Why flexible lease terms are crucial for attracting new businesses.

* How to develop incubator programs to fill vacant retail spaces.

* The power of using AI technology (like Thriver) to support and scale small business operations.

* The importance of community-level activations and supporting local champions.

* Why reevaluating the business rates system is essential for survival and growth.

---

Find out more about Alex's work at: [https://savethehighstreet.org/](www.togetherfutures.com)

Don't forget to **LIKE**, **SUBSCRIBE**, and hit the **NOTIFICATION BELL** so you never miss an episode of The Rodcast!

As Always thank you to our sponsors www.978finance.com Contact them to arrange finance on your next deal!

You may have heard about the workshops Rod and Adam Lawrence put on for SME property Businesses. The next is on JV's and M&A in London on 3rd July 2025. Limited tickets left for this event here http://Bit.ly/pbwseven

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G2M are a company acquiring and regenerating existing rental stock in established communities, they provide long-term, affordable, and decent homes for families – combining institutional capital, active asset management, and proprietary technology to drive meaningful impact across the UK. I spoke with their co founder and CEO Paul Morton on the latest episode of the Rodcast.

Here is what you can expect from the episode;

Paul's journey from chartered accountant to venture capital, and his evolution into property, shifting from trading to a unique investment model.

What drives the Supply of homes.

Why Landlords are exiting the market.

Why average and lower income households are seeing a contraction of rental opportunities.

Why institutional capital has stayed away from UK residential in the past.

Why the residential market is so fragmented.

Why institutions have stayed away from existing homes vs new builds and what are they missing.

UK residential investment Market vs more established markets like USA and Germany.

Consolidation of private rental market and what that means.

How do lower value areas vs higher value areas affect the investment model.

The data they use in their investment models.

Fixed costs of running a lower value property erode the income disproportionally.

Rents top out at the higher end of the value curve so how they triangulate their sweet-spot.

Why do they favour the cash generating model.

The Drivers of Problems in Housing stock.

Liquidity of Housing stock.

Why Right to Buy Scheme has restricted stock of Social Homes.

Unintended consequences of Home Ownership promotion.

Sustainable tenancies and Affordability.

£19 Billion of welfare is unclaimed.

Having a resident base that is not just income driven.

Key data sets that Paul likes to keep his eye on.

The Biggest risk to G2M and what they are doing to mitigate it.

Why being resident centric helps to look after everything else.

How Paul's role as CEO has shifted as the business has grown.

Why they demerged the investment and operational parts of the business.

The change in culture of a growing business.

The challenges of pivoting from trading to investment models.

The valuation of Time in property.

The importance of Arbitrage.

Why understanding the Capital replacement cycle is key.

The energy and motivation required to be investing in residential property.

£300 Billion a year of existing homes change hands each year and why that is important.

What would change Paul's mind on investing in existing homes.

The effect of regulation on the Housing Market.

Energy Performance regulations and how to allocate capital toward that.

As always a huge thank you to www.978finance.com who made this episode possible. Please contact them if you have any finance needs for your next property deal.

Our channel relies on engagement to keep attracting great guests. Please subscribe so you don't miss an episode, like and comment on our videos and podcasts and comment on anything you would like us to discuss on The Rodcast.

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How was it possible for 1 London Local Authority to build more affordable houses than any other Council and reduce Temporary Accommodation Costs Year on year when so many other councils are unable to?

I asked Darren Rodwell the ex Leader (and Mastermind) of Barking and Dagenham Council's impressive Housing record about this and more.

Darren and I discussed;

The breakdown of housing for communities.

Why Barking and Dagenham's community had felt the extremist views of the BNP were what they needed prior to Darren.

Why people strive for a community that shows value to them and that they show to that community.

Our desire for our children to do better than us.

The difference between Affordable and Social Housing.

The Anderson Housing Act after the war, Homes for Heroes the Nationwide expansion of Housing.

How after the Victorian era hope and aspiration ruled and it became an expectation that the council would provide you a home and business would provide you with a job.

Common good vs good for the individual.

Housing Associations, council equivalent rent and shared ownership schemes.

How "Affordable" means we recognise you can pay a bit more.

Why a mixed tenure approach to housing is important.

Why some labels create echo chambers of "you are not good enough.

Why Housing should be Aspirational.

Council Housing is a form of Build to Rent.

How the council housing boom after the war was funded when the country was broke.

How Darren reduced Temporary Accommodation costs to the council year on year.

How Barking & Dagenham built 20% of Londons Affordable Housing.

Why expecting private developers to pay for council housing is causing councils to go broke.

The power of being led by community, facilitated by Local Authority and invested in by partners is the key formula that councils should adopt.

You only get a council property if your need is greater than others.

How Darren reduced Housing waiting lists from 11,000 to around 4,000.

Why looking at the deprivation index is a good measure.

Building communities and not just homes should be the focus which is why the percentage of schools rated good to outstanding increased from 68% to 92% in the borough.

Why Local Authorities must serve the community rather than Parent it.

A council should look to reduce running costs but empower the community.

Why we have not done proper council house building in the UK since the 60s and 70s.

How MIPIM is now attracting public and private entities together.

Measuring success in social equity with the peoples personal index.

How wealth funds, infrastructure funds and pension funds can play a vital role in affordable housing.

Why housing is the greatest infrastructure requirement in this country.

How housing benefit costs can be offset by capital expenditure.

Why the planning system is not broken.

And a whole lot more.

As ever if you enjoyed this episode please leave a comment and press the like button. If you are not already please subscribe to the channel so you get notified when there is a new episode.

Thanks to our sponsors www.978finance.com who make each episode possible. Please contact them for all your finance needs.

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If we build more houses will that lower prices.

Is planning reform the answer?

Is land banking a problem we should be concerned with?

I speak to Veteran of the property industry Peter Bill to discuss peoples Perceptions of the Housing Crisis and why he feels many of these perceptions are incorrect.

Peter tells us

His background and extensive career in Property and Journalism.

Why he feels the state cannot exert control over housing in the UK.

How the price of new homes is linked to second hand homes.

How the economics of Housebuilding works.

How land use for housing has changed over the years.

How the rate of Sale Per Outlet Week (SPOW) is a key metric for Housebuilders and the housing market.

Why he feels building more houses will not decrease prices.

How housebuilding correlates with economic output.

Why the economics of building large blocks of flats is different to Housebuilding.

Why he feels improving the planning system has never resulted in more homes.

Why developers should not rely on the state to help them.

His thoughts on the governments current planning reform.

Why prefabricated building has not and is not the answer.

Why he feels the infrastructure of building council & low cost housing has been destroyed.

How the sizes of homes have got smaller over time.

How the amount of homes per hectare has changed in the last 30 years..

Why it has become so difficult for SME developers in the UK.

And so much more.

If you liked this episode please like, subscribe and leave us a review as it helps us to keep getting great guests like Peter.

You can also watch our episodes on our Youtube Channel www.youtube.com/@rodcast-property

Thanks as ever to www.978finance.com who sponsor our episodes. Please contact them for all your finance needs.

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Manish Kataria, Adam Lawrence and Rod Turner are back to present our quarterly investment mastermind where we each pick a financial investment and give reasons on why we are investing in this at the moment.

Each of us then critiques this decision.

We also explain the current market dynamics and in this episode (recorded 4th April 2025) that is centred on the Trump Tariffs which has caused a tumble in the US stock markets.

Whilst we do invest in these picks THIS IS NOT INVESTMENT ADVICE and should not be taken as such.

We love to hear what you are investing in now. Let us know in the comments.

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I am joined by Michael Keaveney the Director of Land and Development at Grainger PLC, the UK's Largest Landlord to discuss the UK's Housing Emergency.

Michael is probably the most qualified person I have ever spoken to on UK Housing, and my gosh did it show!

We discussed;

- Michaels background and career going from a degree in Building surveying to working for project managers and private developers to his current role at Grainger PLC.

- The difference between how private companies and public companies operate in the Development space.

- How the Development industry has changed over the past 30 years.

- The problems of Town Planning and how it has been politicised.

- How NIMBYism is a disease.

- Why the rhetoric & the narrative of pro development is the biggest single change to planning reform.

- Why he feels we are in a Housing Emergency.

- £2.3 Billion a year being spent on Temporary Accommodation and housing waiting lists being out of control.

- Why the Renters Reform Bill & Renters Rights Bill were direct responses to the Private Rental Sector being used by people that cannot afford it and should not be in it.

- Mom & Pop Landlords, accidental landlords, part time landlords and how important they are for the PRS.

- Why he does not agree George Osbourne's main aim was to institutionalise the PRS.

- According to surveys of customers/tenants in the PRS, the vast majority get a good deal, so why are the PRS demonised?

- Why he is happy with the majority of reform of rental industry in the renters rights bill.

- Why no one speaks about how the PRS has propped up housebuilding in the UK.

- Similarities with Section 106 in suburban areas holding up development and the PRS demonisation stalling ultra urban development.

- Why Private investment is vital for UK housebuilding, development and infrastructure.

- Why most house builders are now avoiding ultra urban schemes in favour of less units of housing.

- Why rate of sale is so key for house builders.

- The ability of private capital to say no to investing in Housing in the UK.

- Why policy makers need to understand what development needs to be viable.

- Why Michael agrees with approaches by the GLA in the past to percentages of affordable housing needed on sites.

- Why he prefers the ideas of grants to the dropping of tariffs for housing.

- Why the loss of SME developers in the market is a disaster.

- Where he feels there are opportunities for SME Developers.

- The costs of getting to planning for SME Developers.

- Why big house builders cannot be set up in this environment and what needs to change.

- Labour seeking to tackle red tape around town planning.

- Planning isn't THE problem but it is a problem.

- Why Landbanking is a misnomer.

- £90 Billion required to build 90,000 social homes.

- Why the SME builds in a different way to big house builders and why we have lost capacity in the UK to build lots of houses in different areas.

- Why subsidy for social homes is vital.

- Michael gives advice to any young person who is looking to get into the real estate industry.

If you enjoyed this episode please leave a comment below and let us know your favourite part. We rely on growing our audience to keep getting excellent guests so please make sure you subscribe. We are also on Youtube, follow us there too. https://www.youtube.com/@rodcast-property

As always thank you to www.978finance.com for making this episode possible. If you are looking for structured finance, Development loans, Bridging loans or just investment mortgages please get in touch.

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Unveiling the Secrets of Mortgage Pricing with Shawbrook Bank!

Ever wondered how banks actually decide on those mortgage rates? 🤔 Join us for a fascinating deep dive with Daryl Norkett, Director of Real Estate Proposition at Shawbrook Bank, as we uncover the mysteries of mortgage pricing!

In this episode, we explore:

The inner workings of bank loan pricing: Get an insider's perspective on the factors that influence your mortgage rate.

Base rate predictions: Will we see cuts this year, or will inflation, the Ukraine war, and Trump tariffs push rates higher?

The impact (or lack thereof) of base rate changes on your mortgage: Discover why your mortgage payments might not move in line with the base rate.

The link between savings deals and mortgage products: Learn how your savings account can affect mortgage rates!

Emerging trends in structured finance: Explore the latest innovations in mortgage products.

The evolving mortgage market: See how lenders are adapting to meet the changing needs of customers.

Revolutionising the Private Rental Sector (PRS): Discover how mortgage products are changing for the modern landlord.

The future of arrangement fees: Are those hefty fees here to stay?

Bank profit margins: Uncover the typical margins banks aim for when setting mortgage rates.

Mortgage rate forecasts: Where will rates be by the end of 2025?

Key factors impacting mortgage prices: Stay ahead of the curve by understanding the forces that drive rate changes.

And much more!

Don't forget to like, comment, and follow if you enjoyed this episode!

A huge thank you to our sponsor, 978 Finance! Visit www.978finance.com for all your finance needs.

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In this episode ex lawyer turned Landlord Blogger, Suzanne Smith Joins me to discuss what is really going on in the Renters Rights Bill and what else Landlords should be aware of.

We discuss;

Suzanne's move from being a lawyer for multinational corporations to becoming a Property Investor.

Difficulties she had with lettings agents and why she set up her blog for Landlords.

How Smaller Landlords can survive in the Private Rental Sector

The type of mindset Landlords and Residential property Investors should have.

Is Passive investment a reality for Landlords

Awabs Law, Damp & mould and duty to investigate the causes of Damp and mould and what details are still to come.

People on Benefits can have a good credit history.

What Landlords and Property Investors should be concerned about in the Renters Rights Bill including

- Abolition of section 21

- The end of fixed term tenancies and the impact on the student market in particular

- New grounds for section 8

- Rent increases through Section 13 notices and the first tier tribunal. How tenants are being incentivised to go to tribunal.

- First months rent and rent in advance payments.

Some common misconceptions from Landlords on the Renters Rights Bill.

The process of how the Renters Rights Bill going through Parliament and onto the statute book.

Changes in EPC requirements.

Differences in Energy Efficiency Ratings, Carbon offset and what will the new EPC prioritise.

What is currently being consulted on for EPC.

- When this will come into force.

- How long will the new EPCs last for.

Windows of opportunity for Landlords to think of now.

Price cap for works to get to an EPC rating of C.

How the price cap works in relation to what you spend money on first.

Money spent now does not contribute to the cost cap.

Generous grants are available.

Disproportionate effects on low value areas.

Changes of rules for listed buildings and EPCs.

EPC assessments and the assumptions that occur.

Tips for Landlords to ensure the EPC is getting the best score at assessment.

The importance of evidence.

The stages of change management and how investors are going through grief but need to jump to acceptance and implementation.

Pricing the risk of these changes for property investors.

Avoiding problems is better than fixing them.

Percentage returns are useless without a value.

Examples of buying property not being a good investment over the long term.

Please check out Suzanne's great blog posts here https://theindependentlandlord.com/the-independent-landlord-blogger/

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