Ten of the UK’s leading property managers have joined forces to influence and improve the sustainable management of UK commercial property. Through leadership, collaboration and the development of best-practice the partnership will provide practical support for the benefit of the wider industry.

Founding members of the BBP Managing Agents Partnership are Broadgate Estates, Bilfinger GVA, Capita, CBRE, Cushman & Wakefield, DTZ, JLL, M J Mapp, Savills and Workman. With a combined total of over one billion square feet under their management in the UK spanning across more than 26,000 properties, the initiative has significant potential to transform the industry.

The Partnership is borne out of the Better Buildings Partnership (BBP), a collaboration of the UK’s leading commercial property owners who over the past eight years has been striving to improve the sustainability of existing commercial buildings.

The establishment of the Managing Agents Partnership recognises the crucial role agents must play in delivering a more sustainable built environment and, with those founding companies, is already leading the way with work commencing on the development of standard sustainability provisions for inclusion in property management contracts.

Louise Ellison, Head of Sustainability at Hammerson and Chairman at the Better Buildings Partnership (BBP) said “This is a very exciting step forward for the industry. Property Managers are absolutely critical to the delivery of sustainability in millions of properties throughout the UK. This initiative will provide vital support for property managers who are seeking to improve sustainability performance across their clients’ portfolios.”

Carl Brooks, Head of Sustainability at M J Mapp and Chairman of the new initiative said “Property managers are committed to providing the highest standards of service for their clients and sustainability is emerging as an important criteria for winning and delivering client mandates. By working together we can share good practice, develop practical tools and make these available for the benefit of the wider industry.”