Rent Magazine Conference April 20th  2017

Agenda

Thursday 20th April, London

Align your services, upskill your workforce, connect with key stakeholders and unlock new opportunities in the PRS market

09:00

9:00. Registration & Coffee

09.30

Opening comments from the Chair

Richard Berridge, Managing Director, Blackbird RE

09.40

9:40. PANEL: Bringing PRS To Fruition Across The UK

• Examining how the PRS model is emerging across the UK and what the vision is for different stakeholders
• Discussing key supply side factors and challenges impacting the speed of PRS roll out:
  • partnership and funding models
  • Government support mechanisms
  • Planning conditions
  • Selective Licensing
• How is PRS being received by local government, investors and the market?
• Assessing what the dominant PRS model for the UK market is starting to look like

Chaired by:

Ian Fletcher Director of Policy (Real Estate) – British Property Federation

Panelists:

• Mark Davis, Build To Rent Champion, Housing-led Regeneration and Investment Division – Department for Communities and Local Government
• Paul Beardmore, Director of Housing – Manchester City Council
• Alastair Carmichael, PRS Lead and Head of Real Estate Finance – GVA
• Ed Ellerington, Director – PRS, Grainger

10.20

10:20. PANEL: Delivering PRS in London

• Examining the PRS pipeline and how it’s contributing to meeting London’s housing target
• What role does government need to play to drive PRS opportunities in London?
• Overcoming the London ROI problem to attract more investment
• Examining London councils’ plans for supporting PRS

Chaired by:

Mary-Anne Bowring, Group Managing Director – Ringley

Panelists:

• Karen Cooksley, Partner and Head of Planning – Winckworth Sherwood

11.00

11:00. Morning refreshments & networking

11.30

Networking Round Table Discussion: Key Industry Actions To Drive The PRS Opportunity

Join industry colleagues to evaluate what needs to happen to make PRS take off across all UK cities and to discuss key actions required by different stakeholders.

• Discussing different regional opportunities for developing PRS communities
• What role might different actors play?
• What do different actors need to do to position themselves for new PRS opportunities?
• Identifying barriers and discussing how best to overcome them
• Examining key market segments being targeted with PRS propositions and evaluating the potential of new markets not yet being addressed

Round Table Leaders:

• David Clark, Chairman – Mainstay Group
• James Duncan, Partner – Winckworth Sherwood
• a selection of speakers from the morning panel sessions

12.30

12:30. Networking Lunch

13.30

13:30. Adding Value, Increasing Appeal & Maximising Rental Yields

• Examining the range of extra services that could be included in PRS schemes
  • determining the attractiveness of services to different segments
  • how important are community features versus individual features?
• What services are essential and will encourage take up and longer occupancy?
• Level of service and on-going management considerations
• Identifying barriers and discussing how best to overcome them
• Examining the viability of extras and assessing the impact of different services on ROI

Ian Merrick, Operations Director, Essential Living

14.05

14:05. Staffing And Managing PRS Developments

• PRS: A new approach to block management
• Pros and cons of outsourcing or developing management expertise in-house
• Examining industry support towards talent and skills development for high end PRS
• Building a new toolkit of property management tools for meeting and servicing residents’ requirements

Chaired by:

Tracey Hartley, Principal, Foundation Real Estate

Panellists:

• Nigel Bosworth, Head of Build-to-Rent Management, Savills UK
• Brett Williams, Executive Partner – Strategy, SDL Bigwood
• Andrew Bulmer, CEO, IRPM

14.40

14:40. Gaining Key Insights On Servicing PRS Developments From Out Of Sector Experience

• Contrasting the similarities and differences between the student accommodation market and mid-high end PRS market
• Establishing the right service offering to suit your market’s expectations and lifestyle desires
• Delivering consistent results in a fast-paced customer facing environment

Brian Welsh, Chief Operating Officer, threesixty Developments

15.15

15:15. Afternoon refreshments & networking

15.45

15:45. Top Tips From The Hospitality Sector For Delivering Great Customer Service

Hear strategies and suggestions from leaders in customer service and improve the service you provide to your tenants.

• End to end customer experience
• What service excellence means to different customers
• Managing and diffusing difficult situations

Kamran Mahmood, Chairman – PRS Committee, British Hospitality Association

16.30

16:30. Gaining Consumer Buy-In To New PRS Propositions

• The key components of establishing a unique and desirable brand and selling a lifestyle
• Driving a cultural shift and promoting a positive perception of renting over home ownership
• Strategies for engaging and retaining tenants to manage occupancy and reduce churn
• How to gain buy-in to longer tenures?

Geeta Nanda OBE, CEO, Thames Valley Housing

16.55

16:55. Round Table: Selecting The Right Partners For PRS

• Understanding what investors are looking for in PRS investment opportunities
• What partnerships are developers looking to secure to deliver on investors’ expectations
• Examine the specific challenges for different sectors supporting and servicing the PRS market:
  • property managers, solicitors, surveyors, asset managers etc
• What new skills and expertise are essential to be a valued partner?
• Realigning business services to support new and evolving models

Delegates are invited to select a round table discussing:

• Legal issues
• Investment & planning
• Build and design
• Property maintenance and management

17.30

17:30. End of conference