Intelligence Talks

In this episode of Housing Unpacked, Tom is joined by Louisa Sedgwick, managing director of mortgages at buy-to-let specialist lender Paragon Bank to explore the Renters’ Rights Act and what it really means for landlords and tenants. They discuss her involvement lobbying two separate governments on issues like the end of Section 21, the shift to periodic tenancies, tighter controls around asking rents, and why well‑intentioned reforms may squeeze supply, push rents higher, and disadvantage more vulnerable renters. The conversation also explores the recent mortgage market shock caused by the Middle East conflict and the looming challenge of meeting new energy efficiency standards.

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If it holds, the Middle East ceasefire will boost activity in the housing market as spring gets underway, but it hasn’t removed the pressure keeping mortgage rates high. In this episode of Housing Unpacked, Tom Bill is joined by Helen Thomas, CEO of Blonde Money, to explain why borrowing costs are unlikely to snap back to mid-February levels. They explore how the conflict will create a lasting supply‑side inflation shock, why bond investors still see the UK as a risk, what that means for mortgage rates, and the competing pressures on the Bank of England. The discussion also examines whether an internal challenge or the bond market is more likely to bring Keir Starmer’s premiership to a premature end.

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What does London’s past reveal about its future? Shabab Qadar, Head of London Offices Insight, joins Will to unpack London’s evolution through deregulation, financial crises, political change and the pandemic.

They explore how 2020 accelerated the shift towards higher‑quality space, why the “return to office” debate is now outdated, and how AI, supply constraints and long‑term capital are shaping the next cycle.

If you want a clear, focused view on London’s future, and the implications for occupiers, investors and planners, this episode has it.

Hosted by Will Matthews, Knight Frank’s Head of Commercial Insight. For more insights like this subscribe to ⁠⁠Will Matthews' newsletter⁠⁠ for his weekly take on commercial real estate markets.
Produced by ⁠⁠Rethink Audio⁠⁠.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Tom and Michael Brown unpack how the Bank of England’s unexpectedly hawkish messaging last week helped ignite a sharp repricing across markets already rattled by the Middle East conflict, pushing swap rates up by nearly a full percentage point, and exposing the UK’s fragile fiscal backdrop. They explore why the Bank may be fighting the wrong inflation battle and what this means for borrowers weighing two‑ versus five‑year fixes, and why both housing market activity and policy decisions are now hostage to fast‑shifting geopolitical and energy‑price risks.

⁠⁠Subscribe⁠⁠⁠ to Tom Bill's UK Residential Outlook, for all the latest properties, exclusive market analysis, news and data.

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Tom Bill talks to James Nation on Tuesday 10 March about how the fast‑moving conflict in the Middle East is reshaping UK politics, the inflation landscape, and the housing market. James draws parallels with the 2022 energy shock when he worked in the Treasury and explains how geopolitical instability complicates decisions for the Chancellor and the Bank of England. They discuss the risks to fiscal headroom, the unpredictability of mortgage rates, and the different political and economic scenarios that may play out depending on how long the disruption lasts. The conversation also explores the pressures facing the government ahead of this year’s autumn Budget, the implications for housing policy, and what the coming months may mean for Keir Starmer following Labour’s defeat in the recent Gorton and Denton by-election.

⁠Subscribe⁠⁠ to Tom Bill's UK Residential Outlook, for all the latest properties, exclusive market analysis, news and data.

This is an episode from Housing Unpacked, Knight Frank’s podcast dedicated to the UK housing market.

Produced by Rethink Audio
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.