The British Property Federation has urged its members to engage more with local councillors and MPs to improve the sector’s reputation.
Speaking at the BPF’s annual conference, which this year focused on a survey of perceptions of the property sector, BPF president and Landsec chief executive Robert Noel, said: “I was quite taken aback when I first saw this survey.
“The reality is we are not known for what we do, we are not trusted or represented in society. We must make ourselves more politically expedient and a force for good in society.”
The study, undertaken by Populus on behalf of the BPF, surveyed more than 170 “stakeholders”, including 23 MPs, 10 city leaders, nine NGOs and more than 4,000 members of the general public.
It found that only 27% of the general public had a favourable view of the sector, with 37% holding a positive view amongst stakeholders.
See also: Property perceptions: what Joe Public really thinks
David Partridge, junior vice president of the BPF and managing partner at Argent, argued that the sector was facing a new set of critics compared to the past few decades.
“We would never have had this conversation 10 years ago,” he said. “We would be talking about how great our investment yields are.
“A decade ago we were more focused on tenants. They were quite handy as they were the guys signing up to 25-year leases back then.
“Now what’s happening is we are realising our customers are the people living in the homes and working in the offices we are building.”
In order to improve the sector’s image, the BPF leaders suggested their members engage more actively with politics.
Noel said: “We need our MPs to recognise we can add value to their constituents’ lives. MPs and councillors represent the voice of the people in this survey, so we need to explain our value to them.”
Helen Gordon, vice president of the BPF and chief executive of Grainger, added: “I’ve never seen the industry have less engagement with national government.
“We could be hijacked by the extreme left or extreme right in politics. If we don’t grab this agenda right now and start advocating for wider society, come next election everyone will be going for the property industry and there will be no sympathy for us at all.”
To send feedback, e-mail anna.ward@egi.co.uk or tweet @annaroxelana or @estatesgazette
