KPMG China’s Post

The UK sits at the top of the transparency index for global investment in Real Estate, according to JLL research at this morning’s very enjoyable seminar at JLL’s London office, held in collaboration with the Investment Property Forum. The main themes/drivers for transparency are: 1.Growing demand for niche markets -diversification drives need for transparency. 2. Heightened interest in debt markets 3. Increase use of AI in real estate processes and 4. The impact of regulations that create more resilient and sustainable building infrastructures. As a result, the UK remains a very attractive place for both institutional and private wealth investors. 

Should #realestate care about the Government’s new industrial strategy green paper? I mean, there's no reference to #property without the word “intellectual” before it, a single mention of real estate in a methodological footnote and only one mention of the word buildings. But look a bit closer and it's pretty clear that the property sector is going to be an important part of making this strategy work. It's great to have big aspirations for boosting the life sciences sector, but how is that going to play out if there's a chronic shortage of lab space? Ditto professional and business services, when supply of new and refurbished high quality offices is struggling to keep up with demand. And what about having enough well located homes for workers to live in? The green paper talks about "foundational sectors" - those that "provide critical inputs and infrastructure" to govt’s favoured “growth-driving sectors”. Seems pretty clear to me that the property sector falls in that foundational bucket. There’s more of interest to British Property Federation and UK PropTech Association (UKPA) members: 📝 Reiteration of the need for planning reform that speeds up the consent process 💻 Proptech isn’t specifically mentioned, but clearly falls within the “digital and technologies” sector that govt have identified as having high growth potential 🏬 There’s a whole chapter on “place” and an appreciation of the need for city regions to play an important role in delivering the industrial strategy 📢 Some positive language around ongoing and open dialogue between govt, businesses and experts and providing stable and certain policy direction to support long term investment On the whole, I’d see this as a welcome statement of intent. Delivery, of course, is quite another matter, but it’s helpful to at least see where govt wants to get to.

🏢 Laurent Carlier - I had the pleasure to participate to the Investors Forum 2024 organized jointly by ULI Belgium & Luxembourg and JLL Belgium on January, 18th.   An interesting summary of the expectations of real estate market players for the year.   📍 As illustrated on the image, Peter De Keyzer reminded us of the 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘃𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗴𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀.  🔎 His view is that inflation will stay relatively high and  interest rates will not fall as rapidly as dreamed of (stay between 3 & 5 %). 🔎 Big Government will be back with more protectionism. 🔎 An interesting statement : low interest rates are bad for entrepreneurships because it makes things too easy.   📍 Regarding ESG and the necessity to improve buildings performance, it is important to remember that 80 % of the building stocks of 2050 already exists and that the efforts should mainly focus on improving that stock.   📍 The major project of the sales and (partial) leaseback of their office portfolio by the European institution was also discussed. A fund (Cityforward) has been set up by FPIM and Ethias to redevelop 21 obsolete buildings (300 000 sqm) currently used by the EU.    📍 For the investment market, some relief should come from a decrease in rates that could unlock transactions by bringing together the points of views of buyers and sellers.   📍 Regarding the equity market, the strong correlation between rates evolution and market performance was reconfirmed. Today European real estate shares still trade at a discount of around 35 % to Net Assets Value (which theoretically implies that markets expect an average decrease of 20 % of assets values). Some optimism regarding the logistics/german residential/retail segments. Still cautiousness regarding Offices (despite the shortage of ESG performing properties). The bond market is restarting with a few reference names (Vonovia, Unibail,… Thanks to ULI Belgium & Luxembourg , JLL Belgium , Michel Van Geyte

Sharing an insightful report by JLL on insights on the future of real estate that explores emerging trends and technologies shaping our industry. Gain valuable insights on shared spaces, sustainable development, and more. https://lnkd.in/gFhjTn-H #realestate #futureofwork #innovation #JLL #industryinsights

🚀 Thought-Provoking Insights: How Smart Building Managed Services Drive Change – Share with Your Community! 🌍 Yesterday, we were honoured to exhibit at the Smart Building Sustainability Leadership Forum, an event bringing together the leading innovators, buyers, and suppliers in the UK’s Smart Buildings sector. With over 20 thought-provoking sessions, key speakers addressed the biggest challenges and opportunities facing our industry—focusing on financing, asset protection, and delivering real-world results through smart technology. At Uni Smart, we understand that decision-makers often face hurdles when it comes to financing smart tech and ensuring the protection of their investments. That’s why our Smart Building Managed Service is designed to unlock these barriers, providing solutions that ensure smart technology delivers its full potential while securing long-term returns for investors. Our Managed Service is already proving to be a game-changer in this space, particularly for estate investors who want to stay ahead of the curve. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing insights on how our solution can help buyers and investors overcome these challenges and drive meaningful change in the industry. Our team was represented by Chris Goff, MD of Uni Smart, and Dan Bosak, Head of Technical Solutions, alongside Jasper Hijink from MyMesh, our valued technology partner. Being part of this event was key to understanding what’s happening in the real world and how we can help the industry make impactful change. If you’re ready to learn more about how smart building services can transform your investment strategy, follow us for updates and thought leadership in the coming weeks! #SmartBuildings #Sustainability #ManagedService #SmartTech #Innovations #TechLeadership #EstatesInvestment #MyMesh #SmartBuildingLeadershipForum #AssetProtection #FinancingInnovation #EnergyEfficiency #GreenBuildingSolutions #RealWorldSolutions #DrivingChange #UniSmartSolutions

A great plenary session with CBRE, Colliers, and Altus is happening right now at #AIC2024ICE. Current issues surrounding the development of affordable housing: - Lengthy timelines for approvals. - Elevated costs. - Pro formas that don’t pencil out. - Current government incentives and programs are helpful but insufficient to incentivize development. In addition, the pure scale of the supply gap makes the challenge that much more acute.

A new report from British Land and Savills, ‘Accelerating Innovation in London’, shows that much more can be done to cement London’s status as a global science superpower. It builds on the nationwide report, ‘Accelerating Innovation: a five-point plan to boost life sciences real estate’, and recognises the critical role of real estate in supporting the government’s ambitions of becoming a global leader in science. It offers recommendations for unlocking growth in the sector: ✔️Set ambitious growth targets for the sector ✔️Enable planning delivery ✔️Embed ESG into the sector #Innovation #Growth #RealEstate Read more: https://lnkd.in/ee63m_QS

Milan continues to climb the ranks in real estate investment and development! According to the latest ULI Europe & PwC Emerging Trends in Real Estate Europe 2024 report, Milan has secured its place among the top six cities, marking a significant advancement compared to previous years. At GreenGen, we are thrilled to witness Milan's upward trajectory in the real estate sector. As a global sustainability firm, we are dedicated to supporting investors and asset managers in enhancing the quality of their assets while driving positive environmental impact. Are you looking to optimize the sustainability and performance of your real estate portfolio in Milan? We're here to help! Whether it's implementing low-carbon strategies, improving energy efficiency, or enhancing sustainability metrics, our team is ready to collaborate with you. Don't miss out on the opportunity to elevate your real estate investments in Milan! Reach out to us to start a discussion and explore how we can work together to achieve your goals. #MilanRealEstate #Sustainability #GreenGeneration #InvestmentOpportunities #EmergingTrends2024

Fascinating reading in this Business Commission West Midlands (BCWM) report, with crucial emphasis on net zero, innovation and the built environment 🌳 Some of the key stats that we found insightful: 61% of firms feel it’s crucial that support is provided for businesses to invest in net zero measures 42% expect to increase their investment in carbon footprint reduction 29% of firms are planning on investing in office space over the next 12 months We’re up to the challenge in supporting businesses with their roadmaps to net-zero, taking a holistic approach to building improvements to make real, lasting change. #MEPEngineering #Sustainability #MEPConsultants #Engineering

What a pleasure it was to connect in person with fellow real estate enthusiasts – including my brilliant Baker McKenzie colleagues - at MIPIM last week. These are my takeaways:   #ESG: Much conversation about the #BuildingsandClimateGlobalForum, and what concrete actions might follow the Chaillot Declaration. I discussed WBCSD – World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s Built Environment Market Transformation Action Agenda with Nihat Mert Ogut, Luca De Giovanetti and Sarah Dominey MRICS, and we looked at specific problems that WBCSD’s Corporate Real Estate Directors’ Network might tackle next (watch this space!). Baker McKenzie is publishing an updated Global Sustainable Buildings Index in April and I was keen to gather insights - Sandeep Singh gave me a great overview of certification in developing countries, and the benefits of the World Bank-driven EDGE tool, and Katherine Beisler helpfully explained CRREM as a tool for portfolio analysis. Baker McKenzie co-hosted a net-zero themed event with WBCSD, Arcadis, Schindler Group and BuildingMinds, a great opportunity to network around a common topic. #AI: I compared notes with colleagues, and others in investment and professional services, about the benefits and limitations of genAI for our work. We discussed the importance of decent prompts, and why we must choose the right people internally to scrutinise output. But we should also remember this from Pi Labs, published last week: If every real estate professional used generative AI for an average of an hour each day, it would generate enough greenhouse gas emissions to equal 188,560 one-way flights between London and New York each year. #risk: Alice Charles kindly invited me to join a round table discussion on sustainable urban regeneration. As the lawyer at the table, I decided to focus on risk – highlighting those covered by my fellow participants, and adding a few of my own: political risk, irrelevance risk, differentiation risk, social inclusion risk (thank you Lisette Van Doorn), site risk, energy risk, water risk, and of course regulatory risk. On Tuesday, Sabina Reeves used the term “regulatory volatility” in one of her panel sessions, which I will definitely re-use! It perfectly describes concerns like the uncertainty around MEES for privately-rented non-domestic buildings in the UK. #urbantransformation: I met with Kalin Bracken and Matthew Strahan, super-knowledgeable real estate specialists from World Economic Forum. We compared notes on key topics for the industry including urban transformation in action: for example the Book Tower in Detroit which I visited during WEF’s Urban Transformation Summit. WEF has recently published an article on why 2024 is the tipping point for investing in sustainable buildings – certainly it felt this way last week.   Such thoughtful and insightful discussions - and ESG runs through all of them. Maybe the Road to Zero Stage won't be in the basement next year!