That Retail Property Guy
Welcome to That Retail Property Guy, the podcast where retail property expert Gary Marshall champions retail tenants and empowers professionals across the industry. With a career spanning decades, a dozen retailers, and millions in recovered losses for leading UK retailers, Gary shares his unparalleled knowledge to help retail tenants protect their rights, navigate leases, and maximise opportunities often overlooked by landlords, estates and accounts teams.
This podcast is your go-to resource for unlocking the mysteries of retail property. Whether you're an experienced professional, a mid-sized chain, or someone just starting in the industry, Gary’s insights will help you build confidence, avoid pitfalls, and thrive in this complex field.
Through practical advice, real-world examples, and interviews with industry leaders, That Retail Property Guy is dedicated to fostering development and knowledge-sharing for the next generation of retail property experts.
Listen weekly and discover how small insights can lead to big wins for retail tenants everywhere. Start your journey to retail property mastery today!
That Retail Property Guy
Managing Agents - Retailer's friend or foe? Part2
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In this episode, host Gary Marshall shares some anecdotes about managing agents, from the perspective of a retailer as tenant & occupier. A recurring theme is : do these agents actually read the Lease?
He alludes to numerous examples of agents issuing incorrect invoices, using incorrect data, chasing payments that are not yet due, inappropriately threatening debt recovery, and failing to understand basic lease terms.
Service charge management is a particularly problematic area, with agents mismanaging billing, delaying documentation such as budgets and reconciliations, and misallocating or losing tenant’s funds. There is also concern about transparency, such as where landlords generate income from shared spaces (like car parks) that should offset tenant costs but are not clearly accounted for.
Errors are often blamed on poor systems or junior staff, but proper management & quality control should prevent such failures. Delays, lack of communication, and “stonewalling” just erodes trust.
Poor handovers often leave tenants with unresolved problems when landlords sell their properties, or even just change agents.
Marshall concludes that managing agents (as service providers to their client Landlords) should be more accountable and better aligned with both the lease terms and the Landlord’s objectives. Landlords should closely oversee their agents and consider feedback of tenant experiences.
Current shortfalls in delivery often oblige tenants to bypass the agent, escalating issues directly to landlords, creating distrust with the agent, while highlighting the need for significant improvement in performance and accountability.
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Go to ThatRetailPropertyGuy for more on Gary Marshall, SmarterEstates and the TRPG podcast. You can also check out the TRPG Blog for reading versions of key episodes.
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