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! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
-------- Â
49:14
--------
49:14
The High Street is Dead! Or is it? - Alex Schlagman
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:**---* 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
-------- Â
48:42
--------
48:42
Investing in Existing Homes - Paul Morton G2M
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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
-------- Â
52:35
--------
52:35
How Councils Can Build Affordable Housing - Darren Rodwell
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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
-------- Â
1:22:05
--------
1:22:05
Perceptions of a Housing Crisis - Peter Bill
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-propertyThanks as ever to www.978finance.com who sponsor our episodes. Please contact them for all your finance needs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
About The Rodcast - Property, Business, Investment
An exploration into real estate businesses and asset backed investments.Rod talks to property developers, investors, business owners and professionals about the nitty gritty details involved in making their businesses move in the right direction. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Listen to The Rodcast - Property, Business, Investment, The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app
Ireland