The Viking Chats: navigating the choppy waters of property, technology and business

There’s a fascinating shift happening across the property industry right now.On the surface, most of the conversation appears to revolve around legislation. The Renter’s Rights Act. Tribunal reform. EPC targets. Compliance changes. Data transparency. AI. New expectations from consumers.But underneath all of that sits something much bigger: Trust.Who has the information. Who controls the process. And what happens when technology fundamentally changes the balance between the two.In this episode of The Viking Chats, I sit down with Sandra Jones, formerly of Dataloft and now part of global property technology business PriceHubble, for a conversation that starts with housing market data and gradually expands into the future architecture of the property industry itself.Sandra has spent decades analysing property markets, understanding behavioural trends and helping agents translate complex data into something meaningful, visual and commercially useful. Following PriceHubble’s acquisition of Dataloft in 2023, that capability has now merged with vast property-level data infrastructure, AI tools and predictive analytics operating across multiple international markets.And what emerges from this conversation is a fascinating insight into where the industry may be heading next.We explore why data has become one of the most valuable assets within modern property businesses, not simply from a valuation or market analysis perspective, but because consumers increasingly expect transparency around almost every aspect of housing. From rental pricing and affordability to energy efficiency and local market movement, the demand for evidence-backed communication is only increasing.One of the most compelling parts of the discussion centres around the rental market and the implications of the Renter’s Rights Act. Sandra explains how PriceHubble’s new Rental Evidence Report is designed to help agents and landlords justify rent increases transparently through real achieved rental data rather than vague market assumptions.Because as we discuss throughout the episode, the days of simply telling consumers “that’s the market rate” without evidence behind it are rapidly disappearing.And AI is likely to accelerate that change dramatically.We dive deep into the growing role of artificial intelligence within property and what happens when consumers no longer need specialist industry knowledge to understand their rights, challenge decisions or navigate increasingly complex legislation. If AI can instantly interpret tenancy agreements, identify compliance gaps or assess the fairness of rent increases, then the entire relationship between agents, landlords and tenants starts evolving very quickly.That creates both opportunity and risk.On one hand, greater transparency should drive professionalism, consistency and trust across the sector. On the other, it may also create a more litigious and process-heavy environment if technology removes friction from disputes entirely.We also discuss: why 'achieved rental' data matters more than asking prices  the unintended consequences of banning rental bidding wars  the growing complexity around EPC legislation and retrofit  how consumer expectations around information are changing  and why evidence-backed communication is becoming commercially essential for agents Alongside all of that, there’s a broader conversation around London, affordability, generational change and how societal attitudes towards renting and home ownership continue evolving.What makes this episode particularly interesting is that it never drifts into “tech for tech’s sake” territory. Sandra brings a hugely grounded perspective to the discussion, consistently bringing the conversation back to people, behaviour and communication rather than simply platforms and software.Because ultimately, this isn’t really a conversation about data alone. It’s about what happens when information becomes universally accessible.And why the future winners in property may not simply be the businesses with the best technology, but the ones most capable of building trust in a world where everyone can increasingly verify everything for themselves.Send us Fan Mail

There are some conversations that end up becoming far more personal, reflective and emotionally honest than either person expected when the microphones first switched on.This was one of those conversations.In this episode of The Viking Chats, I sit down with Heather Foster of Relocation Agent Network for what begins as a chat about career, agency and the evolution of the industry, before unfolding into something much deeper about pressure, identity, survival and the dangerous normality of modern life.Because over the last 18 months, Heather has been fighting breast cancer.Diagnosed at just 41 years old with invasive ductal carcinoma, she has since undergone multiple rounds of chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy, targeted treatment and ongoing hormone therapy, all whilst continuing to work, parent, navigate family life and somehow hold onto a sense of self through the middle of it all.But what makes this conversation so powerful is that it is not simply about cancer itself.It’s about what cancer exposed.Heather speaks incredibly openly about the life she had built before her diagnosis. A life many people will instantly recognise. Working full-time, parenting, managing a home, trying to support everyone around her and carrying an ever-growing mental load that slowly became normal simply because there never seemed to be another option.Like so many high-performing people, particularly working parents, she had gradually become trapped inside a cycle of responsibility where being needed by everyone else quietly replaced taking care of herself.And then life forced everything to stop.We talk candidly about the brutal reality of chemotherapy, the emotional impact of losing her hair, the physical exhaustion that followed treatment and the strange psychological process of trying to maintain “normality” whilst simultaneously dealing with something deeply traumatic.But alongside all of that sits a much bigger conversation around stress, relationships and identity.Heather reflects on how illness forced her and her husband to completely reassess the way they operated as a couple and as parents. From learning to ask for help to rediscovering each other outside of work and family pressures, there’s an incredibly honest discussion around how easy it is for people to slowly lose themselves within modern life without even realising it’s happening.We also explore the idea that resilience is often misunderstood.That being “strong” does not necessarily mean carrying everything alone. That sometimes survival itself becomes the victory. And that difficult experiences, whilst never welcome, can still fundamentally reshape your perspective in ways that ultimately create growth, clarity and healthier boundaries moving forward.There are moments in this episode that are emotional, moments that are funny and moments that I suspect will hit uncomfortably close to home for a lot of listeners.Because, although not everyone will experience cancer, almost everyone will recognise some version of the pressure Heather describes. The endless balancing act. The feeling of being responsible for everything. The slow erosion of self underneath work, parenting, stress and expectation.And perhaps most importantly, the realisation that you cannot continue carrying all of that forever without eventually paying a price somewhere.This is ultimately a conversation about survival in every sense of the word.Not just physically, but emotionally too.And why, sometimes, the hardest thing any of us ever learns is that asking for help does not make us weak. It makes us human.Send us Fan Mail

When Sarka Wilde first joined me on The Viking Chats, the focus was very different.She was preparing to take on Aconcagua, the highest mountain outside of Asia, raising money for the Propertymark Trust through what would become one of the most physically and mentally demanding challenges of her life. The training was relentless, the commitment extraordinary and the purpose behind it deeply personal.Then everything changed.In this follow-up episode, Sarka returns not to talk about summiting the mountain, but about what happened when the expedition went catastrophically wrong.What unfolds is one of the most raw, honest and emotionally intelligent conversations we’ve ever had on the podcast.Sarka talks openly about developing acute pulmonary oedema high on the mountain, the terrifying moment she realised something was fundamentally wrong, and the decision that ultimately saved her life. From being airlifted off the mountain by helicopter to being moved between multiple hospitals in Argentina, she shares the reality of an experience that was physically dangerous, emotionally traumatic and psychologically far more complex than simply “failing to complete a challenge.”Because this episode isn’t really about mountaineering. It’s about identity.It’s about what happens when you spend months, sometimes years, building your life around a singular purpose and then suddenly have that purpose taken away from you. It’s about the emotional aftermath of not reaching the summit, the guilt of feeling like you’ve let people down, and the strange psychological void that can follow the collapse of something you’ve poured everything into.Sarka speaks incredibly honestly about the difficult months that followed. The exhaustion, the recovery, the self-doubt and the challenge of coming to terms with the fact that despite doing everything “right”, things still didn’t go to plan.We also explore the psychology of resilience, the danger of tying self-worth too tightly to outcomes, and why learning to be honest with yourself about failure can actually become a form of freedom. There’s a particularly powerful section around the idea that setbacks in life aren’t necessarily failures at all, but feedback — opportunities to learn, recalibrate and rebuild with greater perspective.Alongside all of that, there are also moments of real warmth and humanity throughout this conversation. Sarka reflects on the extraordinary kindness she experienced from strangers in Argentina, the support she received from friends and colleagues within the property industry, and the importance of having people around you who help you navigate difficult periods honestly rather than allowing you to disappear into your own head.And despite everything that happened, there is an incredible positive outcome sitting at the centre of this story.The expedition raised more than £25,000 for the Propertymark Trust, massively exceeding the original target and helping raise awareness for a charity that quietly supports people within the property industry through periods of hardship, crisis and personal difficulty.In many ways, this episode became something neither of us expected.It’s a conversation about survival, perspective, emotional resilience and the uncomfortable reality that sometimes doing your absolute best still doesn’t guarantee the outcome you wanted.But it’s also about what comes next.And why not reaching the summit doesn’t necessarily mean the mountain beat you.Send us Fan Mail

There’s a moment in this conversation with Rajeev Nayyar where the discussion stops being about the Renter’s Rights Act and starts becoming something much bigger.Because beneath all the headlines around tribunals, rent reviews and compliance sits a more fundamental shift that I don’t think the industry - or government, for that matter - has fully grasped yet.For years, the private rented sector has largely operated on a kind of informal equilibrium. Most landlords and agents have tried to do the right thing most of the time, most tenants have simply wanted a safe, well-managed home, and despite the ever-growing mountain of legislation, the system has continued to function because a huge proportion of the market simply never fully engaged with the complexity sitting underneath it.That's about to change- and not just because of the Renter’s Rights Act.In this episode of The Viking Chats, Raj (best known as founder of Fixflo and now launching MarketRent) joins me for a genuinely fascinating conversation that starts with rent tribunals and ends up exploring the future architecture of the UK tech landscape.We dive deep into one of the most controversial and least understood parts of the new legislation: the changes to rent reviews and the tribunal process. What problem were they trying to solve? And have they potentially created a much bigger one in the process?Raj breaks down the mechanics of the old system, the logic behind the reforms and the unintended consequences that could follow if tribunal volumes increase. We discuss the operational pressure this could place on agents, landlords and the court system itself, as well as the broader implications for investment into the private rented sector and Build to Rent.But this episode goes far beyond policy.One of the most compelling parts of the discussion centres around AI and what happens when tenants no longer need to understand housing legislation in order to enforce it. We are moving rapidly towards a world where an AI assistant sitting on someone’s phone can identify expired compliance documents, missed deadlines or procedural failures instantly - and potentially take action on a tenant’s behalf.That changes the dynamic of the industry completely.Not because tenants suddenly become adversarial, but because the long-standing imbalance of information and process knowledge starts to disappear.We talk about what that means for professionalism in the sector, why “winging it” is becoming an increasingly dangerous operational model, and why agencies that fail to tighten up systems, communication and documentation could find themselves under enormous pressure.At the same time, we explore the opportunity hidden within all of this.Because while there’s understandable anxiety around regulation and enforcement, there is also the potential for a more professional, more transparent and ultimately more trusted private rented sector to emerge from the other side.Raj also shares the thinking behind MarketRent, the new platform he’s building to help agents manage rent reviews in a far more structured, evidence-led and transparent way. Drawing clear parallels with the early days of Fixflo, he explains why he believes the industry now needs a dedicated workflow around rent evidence, negotiation and tribunal readiness.Along the way, we also get into PropTech strategy, government digitisation, data infrastructure, the future role of AI in housing, and whether the UK is doing enough to create the technological foundations the property sector is going to need over the next decade.This is one of those episodes that starts in one place and ends somewhere much bigger.And whether you’re an agent, landlord, PropTech founder or just someone trying to make sense of where the industry is heading next, there is a huge amount in here worth thinking about.Send us Fan Mail