Members of the BBP Managing Agents Partnership, a collaboration of leading agents responsible for managing over 29,000 assets in the UK, will now be including sustainability services as part of their standard property management offering to clients.

To date, managing agents sustainability service offerings have varied widely depending upon individual client demands and how property managers define and charge for sustainable property management. To address this challenge, the UK’s leading agents have worked in collaboration to define and standardise how core sustainability provisions can be integrated into property management services - resulting in the Partnerships first publication: Integrating Sustainability into Property Management Services: Core Provisions.

This landmark initiative means that all of the agents within the Partnership will provide consistent service offerings in relation to a wide range of sustainability issues including utilities, waste, procurement and occupier engagement. Importantly, this will provide property owners, regardless of their commitment to sustainability, with straightforward information on the sustainability of their assets and how to improve them.

Companies which have signed up include Bilfinger GVA, Broadgate Estates, Capita, CBRE, Cushman & Wakefield, Knight Frank, JLL, M J Mapp, Savills and Workman.

Carl Brooks, Chairman of the Managing Agents Partnership and Head of Sustainability at M J Mapp said:

“We are delighted to be launching these ‘Core Provisions’ which are a critical step forward for the industry. Members of the Managing Agents Partnership believe that sustainability should be an intrinsic part of the day-to-day management of commercial property and these ‘Core Provisions’ enable us to provide greater clarity, transparency and consistency around the services that Managing Agents can provide. We hope that these standards will also encourage other agents to follow suit, raising standards across the whole industry”.

The initiative is supported by the Better Buildings Partnership, a collaboration of the UK’s leading commercial property owners. Chairman of the Better Buildings Partnership and Head of Sustainability at Hammerson, Louise Ellison said:

“As major property owners, we have high expectations of the sustainability services managing agents provide. These are an integral aspect of protecting and enhancing the value of our properties. We very much welcome the leadership shown by the Managing Agents Partnership members and the publication of these Core Provisions. This initiative has the potential to drive real market transformation, especially for   property owners who may not have the resources to focus on sustainability and are dependent on the advice of managing agents”.

Sarah Ratcliffe, Programme Director of the Better Buildings Partnership said:

“This commitment from ten of the leading agents demonstrates that they no longer see sustainability as a ‘nice to have’, but as integral to good property management. Providing sustainability services within the core property management offer is a significant step forward for the industry”.

Integrating Sustainability into Property Management Services: Core Provisions can be downloaded here. 

Note to editors:

The Managing Agents Partnership is a not for profit collaboration of the UK’s leading property managers who are committed to improving the sustainable management of commercial real estate. It has 10 Members who together have over 29,000 assets under management in the UK. Its members include Broadgate Estates, Capita, CBRE, Cushman and Wakefield, Bilfinger GVA, JLL, Knight Frank, M J Mapp, Savills and Workman LLP. The Managing Agents Partnership is an initiative of the Better Buildings Partnership.

The Better Buildings Partnership is a not for profit collaboration of the UK’s leading commercial property owners who are working together to improve the sustainability performance of existing buildings. It has 27 Members who together have £180bn of assets under management. Its members include Aberdeen Asset management, Aviva Investors, Blackstone, British Land, Bruntwood, Cadogan, Canary Wharf Group, Capital & Regional, CLS Holdings, Cording Real Estate Group, Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management, Great Portland Estates, Grosvenor, Hammerson, Hermes Investment Management, intu Properties, Land Securities, LaSalle Investment Management, Legal & General Investment Management, Low Carbon Workplace, M&G Real Estate, Segro, Shaftesbury, TH Real Estate, The Crown Estate, Transport for London and Workspace.