Matthew Kitchen, local property expert at Lancastrian Estates, explains why a new informal network in the Northwest can benefit both professionals and clients

Property Expert Matthew Kitchen

Why did you set up the Property Collective?

There are a lot of sharks in the property sector, including those who charge £50 to attend a talk and guarantee that you’ll make big profits on deals. After attending some cliquey events where I didn’t particularly feel welcome, I decided to set up a practical and friendly network of property professionals who could come together, voice concerns, provide insights and solve problems for one another. I hoped it would be a one-stop shop for information on a range of topics from property development, planning, and design, to energy efficiency and finance, supporting both commercial and residential projects.

Who’s involved in the group?

The Property Collective Group

The Property Collective launched last month when more than 60 people came together at a hotel in Morecambe: chartered surveyors, conveyancers, architects, construction experts, finance specialists, kitchen designers, interior designers, project managers, and commercial and residential agents. It went down a storm. There was no selling, just good old-fashioned relationship building and support.

Why is collaboration important in the property sector?

There’s so much knowledge out there, but you often find that people are just having separate conversations. Through this network, we have people in place so that we can all have access to a far wider knowledge base and a richer source of expertise, and it means we can recommend other professionals. I don’t know about EPCs for example, but I know that Jonny at Murton & Co is the person to ask. A client might find a development then realise they need an EPC, an architect, a construction firm and a solicitor – we can facilitate that. I find that clients are usually quite happy if someone can manage the whole process for them as it makes it less stressful. Of course, people will get involved in the group because they ultimately want to make money, but it isn’t just about swapping business cards, getting new clients or increasing sales, it’s more about sharing knowledge and being supportive.

How does meeting in person reinforce your aims?

Email and Zoom are fine but meeting face-to-face really helps make more meaningful connections; from an investor’s perspective you can understand someone’s motivation when you meet in person and find out how knowledgeable they are. There’s a social element to this too, as it’s good to meet in an informal setting away from the day-to-day pressures of work. We’re also raising funds for the charity Unique Kidz each time we meet.

How do you think the group will evolve?

The goal of this collaboration is to create a seamless, client-focused experience by offering expert advice at every step of the property journey, hopefully leading to business opportunities and joint ventures. However, we can still give people guidance even if they don’t use our services as we certainly don’t want to be narrow minded about providing help. It might be the case that we’ll give someone advice and a year later they’ll come back to us – after all, the commercial sector is all about longevity. We plan to hold quarterly meetings, with the potential to develop structured working groups or themed sessions at future events. I’d love for more people to get involved, so we might move the meetings to different towns as a way of encouraging involvement. I’m not aware of any other collaborative property groups like this anywhere else, so perhaps it will also encourage others to start similar networks around the UK.

When’s the next event?

We’re meeting on 13th May at The Bath Hotel in Morecambe (link) when members will be sharing insights and industry knowledge. Speakers include Murton & Co’s Director, Jonny, who’ll be talking about how EPCs can impact property transactions, financing decisions and upcoming compliance changes, Daniel Coll (Ratcliffe & Bibby) who will talk about the dos and don’ts of buying at auction, while James Kelly (Quayside Construction) will explain what to consider when pricing your refurb. We welcome any other professionals who’d like to come along and connect with others in the industry, whether they’re directly in property or work in a related field. It’s a fantastic opportunity to build relationships, learn from real experience, and strengthen your property journey.

Murton & Co is on board

“Collaboration is very much a core value of our business and when Matthew told me about this group, I didn’t hesitate to sign up,”

says Jonny Murton-Lavelle, who adds that since the first meeting, a couple of developers have approached him to discuss the energy efficiency strategy of their projects.

“Property investment and development can be complex with many potentially competing issues to address. Having a collective of property professionals in one room, working in a supportive and collaborative way, has to be a good thing.”