Real estate cannot allow itself to be defined by its bad actors

COMMENT Despite the challenges over the past 15 months, there is a renewed and growing sense of hope as we approach 19 July. The UK’s vaccination programme continues to advance and mitigate the severity of Covid’s impact; work-from-home guidance is being rescinded; and the hospitality sector will soon be able to trade without public health restrictions.  As we reach this milestone, let’s pause for celebration – but equally let’s reflect on the experience of the commercial property sector, and what it tells us about how we create a more positive future.  We were singled out and legislated against at the very beginning of the pandemic. As landlords – both commercial and residential – we have a unique position, and it’s understandable that at a time of crisis the government’s first instinct was to protect our tenants with a short-term intervention designed to give those dealing with a massive shock to their businesses some breathing space. Also, that at a time when the government machine was working around the clock, they reached for a blunt, rather than forensic, tool to do so.   But we’ve been pushing water uphill in terms of reversing the moratoriums on commercial rents ever since. Not because the evidence of their disproportionality or impact on landlords isn’t clear, but because fundamentally it appears that the government doesn’t trust landlords to behave well towards their tenants.  The great debates Our campaign to urge the government to bring forward its promised legislation to target the moratoriums to the hardest-hit businesses continues – but fundamentally we’ll continue to be judged by the worst of us. The truth is there are bad landlords out there, just as there are bad tenants. There are bad actors in every industry. But we cannot allow ourselves to continue to be defined by the minority of bad actors. Overwhelmingly, we are responsible stewards – not only of our assets, but also of communities and people’s lives. Our BPF Futures community reminds me constantly that we are recruiting young people who want to make a difference and understand that the property industry gives them a unique opportunity to be a force for good. Never has there been a greater need to stand united, to address our reputational challenges and work harder to ensure our sector is heard. There is a substantial policy agenda just ahead on the horizon – from the review of landlord-tenant legislation to planning and leasehold reform – and the debate on these important issues must not be conditioned by the perception that we are anything other than responsible actors with a desire to work in the long-term interests of our customers and communities.   Stronger voices The BPF recently hosted its 47th annual general meeting, at which our board reaffirmed that enhancing the impact the BPF achieves on behalf of the industry, by tackling the reputational issues we face, must be our top priority.  This is first and foremost about the actions of individual businesses. The BPF’s Redefining Real Estate campaign remains our framework for driving good practice and greater social impact across the sector to support further positive change.  Creating a more diverse workforce and an environment that is inclusive of all parts of our communities is fundamental to achieving this.  At our AGM we also unveiled BPF Futures Launchpad, a new platform to provide BPF Futures members with unrivalled professional development opportunities and an active role in supporting the industry’s engagement with the government. This will create new opportunities for junior professionals to have a stronger voice in the BPF’s policy work, including through a new BPF Futures Policy Congress, opening the doors to activity that has been historically reserved for the most senior in the industry.  It’s vital that Covid-19 recovery goes hand-in-hand with a renewed focus on equality and inclusion. Our president, David Partridge, and many of his peers have already signed up to become mentors as part of the BPF Futures Launchpad pilot mentoring programme later this year, and I hope our sector’s young-in-career professionals feel inspired to join and contribute towards creating a more positive future for our industry, customers and communities. Melanie Leech is chief executive of the British Property Federation