UK REiiF ’26 – Shaping Opportunities And Building Partnerships

I recently attended the UK Real Estate, Investment and Infrastructure Forum (UKREIIF) in Leeds alongside James Letchford, head of the Commercial Property team at Hunters and over 16,000 other delegates.

Over two days, I spent time both networking and attending several talks which gave a useful snapshot of the issues currently affecting the broader sector. The event illustrated how closely connected policy, investment appetite, technology and regulation have become, and how quickly the market is responding to change. As it was the first time I had attended such an external event, it was an exciting opportunity to find out how people viewed the sector and to represent the firm when meeting people from other industries. 

Scottish law firm Shepherd and Wedderburn hosted a panel on the practical uses of new large language model tools, and whether their use would lead to a new nirvana for the sector. This demonstrated that artificial intelligence is no longer being treated as a distant or abstract issue, but as something already beginning to affect the way real estate and related professional services operate. The discussion highlighted both the opportunities and the practical challenges associated with adoption, including efficiency gains, data use and the importance of maintaining good professional judgement alongside new technology. 

Another session on the first morning covered the Renters Rights Act, which was especially relevant in light of the continued focus on the residential market. This particular session explored how legislative reform may influence investor confidence, landlord behaviour and the balance of supply within the rented sector. It was a helpful reminder that legal and regulatory changes continue to have a direct effect on market sentiment and commercial decision-making.

In the afternoon, I listened to a talk on the Oxford-Cambridge corridor, which focused on the scale of potential growth and investment associated with a part of the country where Hunters has a strong client base and I have a strong bias as a Cambridge Resident. What stood out from that discussion was the extent to which the corridor is being positioned, not just as a regional opportunity, but as a nationally significant engine for innovation, housing delivery, infrastructure planning and long-term economic expansion. Success in that area will depend on coordinated delivery across transport, planning and private capital. 

Day two featured an early start as we headed to a breakfast talk given by the Daniel Watney Partnership. It was great to renew our relationship with our contacts there, and our thanks go to the DW Partnership for inviting us to the talk. 

Following that, I dropped in on a LandTech panel, which offered a practical and forward-looking perspective on how technology is being used across the property life cycle. That session complemented the previous day’s AI talk well, showing how digital tools are becoming increasingly embedded in land identification, due diligence, analysis and decision-making, and suggesting that firms which engage confidently with these developments are likely to be better placed in a competitive market.

Finally, I attended a Q&A session with Daniel Tomlinson, the incumbent exchequer secretary, with the theme of devolving tax revenue to the regions which is significantly less than our European neighbours. Dan's main thrust was about devolving a greater proportion of tax revenues to regional bodies to drive more targeted infrastructure investment, which tied in with the recurring conference theme of promoting regional development and moving away from a London-centric model.

Overall, I left UKREIIF with a new appreciation for the intricacies of the commercial real estate sector. It provided a strong overview of several of the key themes currently affecting the sector and helped connect broader market trends with practical legal and commercial implications. The sessions I attended were varied, but together they pointed to a market that is adapting quickly to external pressures while also seeking out new opportunities for growth and innovation. 

My main takeaway was that continued investment in the sector will depend on the partnership of government, at both a national and local level, developers, investors and agents. For that reason, the event was a useful and timely opportunity to build my understanding of the wider market and the direction in which it is moving.