Association for Rental Living Annual Conference 2026 agenda & first speakers announced

• Concurrent senior-level Annual Conference and NextGen Pathways Conference will take place in London on 10th November 2026
• Annual Conference keynotes, panel discussions and forward-focused sessions will span topics ranging from investment to operations, regulation and AI
• NextGen Pathways agenda will consider the full rental living spectrum, from procurement to resident retention
• Confirmed speakers include Dame Judith Hackitt, Dr Nero Ughwujabo, Lisabel Miles, Honor Barratt, Simon Foster and Grace Morgan

The Association for Rental Living, the membership body for all institutionally backed, professionally managed purpose-built rental living sectors founded in 2016, has released details of its Annual Conference 2026.

In response to strong demand, the event will once more run as two concurrent conferences: the Association for Rental Living Annual Conference 2026, for senior-level sector professionals, and the NextGen Pathways Conference for those in their early and mid-career stages.

The agendas for both events, which take place on 10th November 2026 at Together (88 Wood Street, London), have now been released with a superb selection of expert speakers from both inside the sector and elsewhere.

Confirmed speakers at the event include Dame Judith Hackitt, Chair, Make UK, former Chair of the Health & Safety Executive and author of the Hackitt Report on Building Safety; Dr Nero Ughwujabo, former advisor to the PM; Kate Butler, Assistant Director of Policy, RE:UK; UCL professor Yolande Barnes; Lisabel Miles, Housing Policy, Age UK; Amy Ingham, Real Estate & Residential Lead, The Good Economy; Honor Barratt, Chief Executive, Birchgrove; Simon Foster, Partner, Shoosmiths LLP; Ashley Perry, Acquisitions Director, Multi-Family Housing, Apache Capital; Grace Oyesoro, Director of Operations, Quintain Living; Dee Korab, Head of Impact, Puma Property Finance Will Sweet, Partner, FGS Global and Chris Powell, Chief Operating Officer, Pegasus Homes.

The strategic focus of the Annual Conference will see 500+ senior leaders from across the rental living sector, including operators, investors, developers, local authorities, policymakers and suppliers, gather to shape the future of rental housing in Britain. The UK’s definitive event for Build to Rent (BTR) and professional rental living, the conference will deliver a full day of insight, strategic discussion, panel sessions, expert speakers, interactive sessions and networking.

Association for Rental Living Chief Executive Brendan Geraghty will open the conference with a panel of current and former ARL/UKAA CEOs and Chairs – including Roger Southam, Helen Kings, Dave Butler and Lesley Roberts – to have a frank discussion, not just reflecting on the transformation of BTR over the past decade, but about what needs to happen next for the sector.

As BTR evolves from emerging to evolved asset class, a panel of investors including Ashley Perry (Apache) and Dee Korab (Puma) will explore how the sector can close the gap between available capital and successful deployment. Other sessions include a fast-paced regulatory Q&A on the renters’ rights act, a thought-provoking fireside chat with Yolande Barnes about the cultural legitimacy of long-term renting and an important conversation about professionalism, EDI and the future of rental living, with experts including Dame Judith Hackett, author of the Hackitt Report, former special adviser to the PM, Dr Nero Ughwujabo and Quintain’s Grace Oyesoro.

Additional areas of focus will include sessions on achieving returns on AI investments and governing AI in operations, while senior industry figures will also examine the importance of credibility, professionalism and EDI in rental living.

The highly interactive conference will involve other critical conversations, including how to sell a BTR asset, building viable later life communities and a very timely session on what ‘Manchesterism’ means for the rest of the UK now, chaired by Inside Housing Living editor James Riding.

Meanwhile, the concurrent NextGen Pathways Conference will provide a unique event for early and mid-career professionals, moderated again this year by Grace Morgan. Places for NextGen Pathways are heavily subsidised, as part of the Association for Rental Living’s commitment to nurturing future talent in the sector. The ARL will reveal the results of its NextGen Pathways survey at the conference. Readers can participate at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NextGenPathways2026.

Delegates to the NextGen Pathways Conference will have a unique interactive programme covering the whole rental living spectrum, spanning procurement, mobilisation, operations and resident retention. Participants will gain all the tools and insight for understanding careers in rental living, as well as learning from and sharing ideas with sector leaders and experts.

Brendan Geraghty, Chief Executive of the Association for Rental Living, comments: “The Association for Rental Living Annual Conference 2026 and the NextGen Pathways Conference create a broader and more inclusive platform for the sector than ever before. As we celebrate a decade since the foundation of the Association for Rental Living, we are delighted to bring the sector together to look forward to the next ten years and to work together to build a strong, resilient, adaptable future.”

For more information and to book a Conference ticket, please click this link