Active asset management: Practicalities and realities. Does it really exist? Does it enhance returns? What does it do for risk profiles?

Abstract

Active asset management is a skill that managers of commercial property portfolios often claim they offer their clients - but are their claims to 'manage actively' accurate and trustworthy? This paper sets out, comprehensively, the field of operation any genuine active asset manager should cover - from value-adding management of landlord-tenant relationships to the analysis of latent values, debt and gearing management and liaison with local town planners. The correct organisation and systems that drive property investment cashflows to add investor value are also set out. Backed by up-to-date financial data the paper also provides an overview that includes both micro and macro perspectives: the UK's current economic status is viewed in tandem with retail property performance plus expert predictions. The reader is informed how active asset management lowers investment risk at a time when bank lending to commercial property is said by some commentators to be disproportionately high. Property is an illiquid and complex investment medium; the paper attempts to show a way forward when retail and leisure property are threatened by a downturn in consumer spending. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]