Estates Gazette Property Podcasts

Bricks & Mortar: Former rugby professional Ben Brownlie converts career path to real estate

In this latest episode of Bricks & Mortar, Sarah Jackman catches up with ex-Nottingham Rugby Club player Ben Brownlie.

Having played professional rugby since 2014, the pandemic forced Brownlie to reassess, enroll on a masters in building surveying and enter the real estate industry.

Now an assistant building surveyor at Innes England, Brownlie is on course to take his APC and gain professional accreditation as a chartered surveyor, while still playing the sport that he loves.

Listen to Brownlie discuss his journey into real estate, the advice he has for anyone seeking a career change and the commonalities that he believes exist between real estate and rugby.

EG Like Sunday Morning: Know your chips on offices and life sciences

Jess Harrold is joined by reporters Evelina Grecenko and Chanté Bohitige for the latest weekly round-up podcast.

Bohitige discusses GSK's search for a new London HQ, and what the current levels of office attendance will mean for the market - could there be a glut of redundant space in the capital?

Grecenko tackles asset manager and developer Lateral's big plans for life sciences, and the high standards set by McCain in its HQ redevelopment in Scarborough.

But who will triumph in the quiz of the week?

 

EG Like Sunday Morning: Enough bad news? Hold my Guinness...

LISTEN A number of the big agents had results out over the past week or so - and pretty good ones too.

Savills' first half revenue has broken the £1bn ceiling, Cushman's leasing revenues alone have topped a billion, JLL's revenues are up 17%...

So why is EG's deputy editor, Tim Burke, so full of doom and gloom? Turns out, the good times might already be at an end...

And we get to meet EG's newest addition, London reporter Chanté Bohitige, who has been covering some far cheerier stories.

But when it comes to the weekly quiz, who will prevail - the aged curmudgeon or the fresh-faced newb?

Bricks & Mortar: The law firm creating positive change in the property law sector

In this latest episode of Bricks & Mortar, Sarah Jackman catches up with senior partner Sara Bailey, real estate partner Rebecca Wardle and real estate solicitor, Ugo Ebhogiaye, from Trowers & Hamlins.

The firm has been working on a number of initiatives to help improve diversity and social mobility within the sector, including the Routes to Real Estate programme, which seeks to address the various barriers into employment in real estate.

They discuss the background to initiatives, how they're working in practice and the positive change that they hope will flow from them.

 

EG Like Sunday Morning: Life sciences, industrial values and digital twins

Jess Harrold is joined by news editor Pui-Guan Man and life sciences Evelina Grecenko for the latest weekly round-up of all the latest headlines.

Grecenko tackles Oxford Biomedica's sale-and-leaseback plans, and the buzz around Manchester's Landmark Building.

Man has news on industrial land values, Hammerson's latest results and a new digital twin of the commercial real estate market.

But which is the better investment, industrial or life sciences?

And how will they both fare in the quiz of the week, covering everything from the BBC to the celebrations of England's victory in the Euros?

On the Case: The Court of Appeal rules on pandemic rent defences

Jess Harrold is joined by Guy Fetherstonhaugh QC, of Falcon Chambers, to discuss the eagerly awaited Court of Appeal decision in the combined appeals in Bank of New York Mellon (International) Ltd v Cine-UK Ltd; London Trocadero (2015) LLP v Picturehouse Cinemas Ltd and others [2022] EWCA Civ 1021; [2022] PLSCS 125 - cases both arising out of rent arrears accrued during lockdown periods imposed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Fetherstonhaugh outlines the parties involved in the appeals, including two connected cinema tenants, and how those tenants saw their defences to actions for unpaid rent rejected at first instance.

He explains how the arguments were presented in the Court of Appeal, and why it dismissed the tenants' appeals.

In addition, Fetherstonhaugh shares his thoughts on where this leaves any tenants who are yet to resolve pandemic rent arrears disputes with their landlords, and whether this might lead to a late rush to use the government's so far under-utilised arbitration scheme.

 

EG Like Sunday Morning: Commonwealth Games and pandemic rent wars

Jess Harrold is joined by injury-hit editor Sam McClary for the latest weekly round-up podcast.

McClary shares Birmingham City Council chief executive Deborah Cadman's excitement for the Commonwealth Games, and how they are already helping transform the city for a golden future.

She also hails the strong field vying for this year's EG Awards, as the finalists are named.

In addition, Harrold addresses the Court of Appeal's decision on a pair of high-profile pandemic rent cases, the state of play of the government's arbitration scheme for resolving disputes over Covid arrears, and where it all leaves any landlords and tenants yet to come to agreement.

But how will McClary fare as she is put to the test in the quiz of the week?

 

In on the Act: Oliver Radley-Gardner QC on the Electronic Communications Code

In episode four of In on the Act, Sarah Jackman is joined by Falcon Chambers barrister, Oliver Radley-Gardner QC to discuss the Electronic Communications Code, which came into force in December 2017 and replaced the existing Code governing telecommunications. 

Disputes between operators and landowners under the new Code have been higher than under its predecessor, with one case – Cornerstone Telecommunications Infrastructure Ltd v Compton Beauchamp Estates Ltd and conjoined appeals – going all the way to the Supreme Court.

They discuss the reasons behind that, the effect of the Supreme Court decision and other developments in the area, including the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill. 

Bricks & Mortar: OakNorth Bank’s Greg Manson on gaining MRICS qualification

In this latest episode of Bricks & Mortar, Sarah Jackman speaks to Greg Manson, director of debt finance at OakNorth Bank. Manson practices within OakNorth's property finance team and recently received accreditation to become a chartered surveyor via the senior professional route. 

They discuss his motivation for seeking MRICS accreditation, how he managed studying alongside his day-to-day work and the benefits that his recent qualification has brought to his current role.

Tune in to hear the full discussion.  

 

”Nobody is interested in an app for their building. No one gets turned on by that”

On this week's episode of Tech Talk Radio, host Emily Wright speaks to someone not known to mince his words. Ility founder and chief executive Marcus Moufarrige pulls no punches when it comes to his thoughts on the future of tenant engagement apps as his platform is rolled out across portfolios within major real estate companies including L&G and Deloitte. 

"I have always said that tenant engagement isn't an app, it's an outcome," said Moufarrige. "If it isn't an app, why do we need them?"

Moufarrige added that getting people to engage with a building via an app has traditionally been a tough sell with low uptake and something that usually requires "a lot of pushing" because "no one gets turned on by engaging with a building."

He said that New York-based Ility's strategy comes at the problem more from an asset management approach, giving the landlords the tools they need to collect and own their own data while creating flexible, profitable spaces with a focus on ESG. 

To hear more about Ility, Moufarrige's thoughts on apps, data ownership and the difference between a sector which is digitised and one which has been digitally transformed, tune in to this episode of Tech Talk Radio.