QX Living Insights 2026: Capital, Regulation and the Operational Future of Living Real Estate

QX’s Living Insights Evening 2026 brought together a senior panel from across the UK living sector, chaired by Philip Hillman, Consultant, Living Sectors, QX Global Group. The panel featured Johnny Caddick, CEO, Moda/Caddick; Rick DeBlaby, Former CEO, Get Living; Honor Barratt, CEO, Birchgrove; John German, MD, Head of Living Investments, Europe, Invesco; and Jackie Robinson, MD, Operations, Property and Asset Management, Colby River.

The discussion ranged across build to rent, multifamily, single-family housing, co-living, later living, regulation, capital and operations. The mood was neither gloomy nor boosterish.

The sector still has a powerful long-term case: people need homes, institutional living models are maturing, and capital remains interested. But the easy assumptions have gone. Delivery is harder, regulation is heavier, investors are choosier, and operational performance now matters enormously.

The UK needs a stronger investment story

The living sector’s fundamentals remain attractive, but fundamentals alone do not win capital. Global investors have options. They can compare the UK with other countries, other asset classes and other risk-return stories.

That places a sharper burden on the UK market. Housing shortage is a starting point, not an investment thesis. The sector needs a clearer answer to a blunt question: why should capital come here, and why now?

The opportunity is substantial, but investors are weighing it against planning delays, regulatory complexity, construction costs, taxation and political uncertainty. If the UK wants to attract the scale of capital required, it needs to present a more coherent case: one built on policy stability, practical delivery, credible local leadership and a regulatory environment that protects residents without strangling supply.

Devolution could matter, if it unlocks delivery

Devolution was discussed less as constitutional theatre and more as a practical housing lever. That is where it becomes interesting.

Local authorities understand their cities, land, infrastructure and housing pressures better than Whitehall ever can. If regional leaders are given the ability to act, there is a real chance to unlock stalled sites, use public land more intelligently and align housing with local economic growth.

The promise is not another committee, office or slogan. The promise is delivery. Land release, planning certainty, local incentives and joined-up public-private collaboration could make a material difference. Devolution will only earn its keep if it helps turn ambition into homes.

Regulation is now a viability issue

Regulation has moved from the edge of the conversation to the centre of the investment case.

Resident safety, professional standards and accountability are essential. But the cumulative weight of regulation is now shaping development viability, investor appetite and operating costs. The Building Safety Act, Renters’ Rights Act and wider regulatory change all carry consequences for how schemes are funded, built, managed and valued.

The challenge is balance. Good regulation raises standards and supports professional operators. Poorly calibrated regulation can delay schemes, raise costs, deter capital and reduce the very supply the country needs.

The sector needs a mature argument here. Not a plea for a free-for-all, but a serious case for proportionate regulation that improves outcomes without making delivery unnecessarily difficult.

Operations are becoming the real value driver

Perhaps the strongest message of the evening was that operations are no longer a hygiene factor. They are becoming central to value.

In a market where yield compression can no longer be relied upon, income performance does the heavy lifting. That means occupancy, retention, service quality, maintenance, staffing, revenue management, data and cost control all matter more.

The operator is not simply a line in the budget. The operator influences resident experience, reputation, net operating income and resilience. A good building with a weak operating model will underperform. A strong operating platform can protect income, reduce churn and turn service into economic value.

This is especially important as tenancy behaviour evolves. Leasing plans and marketing plans remain useful, but retention strategies deserve equal attention. Keeping residents is not just good customer service; it is good business.

Technology can sharpen performance, but people still make the difference

Technology and AI were treated in practical terms: less science fiction, more sharper management.

The most useful applications are often unglamorous but powerful. Better data can identify missed income, benchmark sites, reduce leakage, automate repetitive tasks and help managers act before performance drifts. Across a large portfolio, small improvements add up quickly.

Yet living real estate remains stubbornly human. Residents may welcome digital convenience, but they judge their home by service, trust, responsiveness and the quality of the people running the building. Technology should give teams more time to do the human work well, not pretend that homes can be managed by dashboards alone.

The living ecosystem is widening

This was not simply a BTR conversation. The sector is broadening into a more sophisticated living ecosystem.

Single-family housing has strong momentum. Co-living continues to offer promise, particularly if it proves itself more widely outside London. Later living has powerful demographic tailwinds and could play a far greater role in freeing up family homes and creating better options for older residents.

No single model will solve the housing crisis. The UK needs multiple tenures, multiple price points and multiple forms of professionally managed accommodation. The next task is to explain these propositions more clearly to both residents and capital.

Disciplined optimism

The sector has every reason to be optimistic, but no excuse to be complacent.

Demand is real. Capital is available. Operators are improving. The product is maturing. But growth will have to be earned through better delivery, smarter regulation, clearer investment logic, stronger operations and more intelligent use of technology.

The fundamentals are there. The challenge now is to convert them into homes, income, confidence and lasting resident value.

Explore the event summary and highlights from QX Living Insights Evening 2026.