Honest Property Investment with Natasha Collins

Natasha Collins
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Investing
  • Biweekly

Confident investing without shortcuts. The Honest Property Investment Podcast gives UK commercial and mixed-use property investors the expert insight, strategic guidance, and no-fluff support they need to build high-performing portfolios that generate income and hold long-term value. Led by Chartered Surveyor Natasha Collins MRICS, each episode dives into smart commercial property strategies, risk mitigation, leasing, valuations, and the realities of property management — all with honesty, integrity, and innovation at its core. 🎙️ New episodes drop every Tuesday at 7am UK time.

  1. 1d ago

    My Budget Hot Takes (and How I’m Using AI to Let Empty Units)

    "Was the budget really that bad?" On the whole, I don’t think the budget calls for anyone to rip up their property strategy. But there are a few things every commercial property investor should know about, and one change I’m really pleased with. In this episode, I cover: Standing charges - Electricity standing charges on commercial meters can be £1.50 to £2.50 a day. I share my idea for scrapping them altogether.Business rates relief - I explain why this matters so much for tenants at a time when rents are flat and utilities keep rising, and what we’re doing across the properties we manage to get more units under the threshold.Why I always pick up the phone to the council - We’ve had some great business rates wins this week, and councils can help with a lot more than you’d think.The downside - I look at the real problem underneath it: fiscal drag, and why it means investors are being taxed twice.Being a bit more whimsical with your commercial property - I show you how I use AI to reimagine a vacant property with its best possible tenant, and how that vision turns into a list of tenants to go after. My challenge for you this week: Take my Commercial Property Performance Check and get a list of things you can do right now to improve your property HERE: https://ncrealestate.co.uk/property-check/ Upload a photo of your property to AI and imagine it at its absolute best. Then go and chase those ideas! The more times you fail, the more times you succeed. That goes for tenants too. If you need more guidance, book a complimentary call with Team NCRE: https://ncrealestate.co.uk/bookacall/

  2. Oct 27

    5 Ways Commercial Property Should Fit Into Your Wealth Strategy

    Does your commercial property need to be magical? Does it need 100% occupancy all the time, big jumps in capital value, and a story you could tell on stage that makes everyone else jealous? I’m here to tell you something very different. In this episode, I go back to basics and remind you what commercial property should actually be doing for you, and where it sits in your wealth strategy. Because it’s not the highest-yield, highest-risk asset in your portfolio. It’s not the lowest-risk either, like gilts, bonds or cash in the bank. It sits right in the middle. And that’s exactly what makes it so powerful. In this episode, I cover: A foundation of reliable income to reinvest.Pension power with SSAS and SIPPDiversificationCreating valueLeverageNone of this is life-changing on its own. Do it consistently for a couple of years, though, and you’ll look up one day and think, “Oh my days, look at the wealth I’ve built.” I want to hear from you. What do you like most about building wealth with commercial property? Is it one of these five, or something else? Tell me in the comments. Want to know more? Book a complimentary call with Team NCRE: https://ncrealestate.co.uk/bookacall/

  3. Oct 20

    5 Things Every Commercial Property Investor Should Do Before Christmas

    It’s October. If your commercial property portfolio hasn’t performed the way you hoped this year, there’s still time to change that. Even if things are going well, these five moves could save you thousands and set you up for a strong 2027. In this episode, I’m sharing the five things I’d be doing right now: 1. Fill vacant units with Christmas pop-ups. Seasonal retailers, local charities and food banks can take your empty space on a short licence. They cover business rates, utilities and service charges, and you may be able to restart your empty rates relief afterwards. I’ll also explain how to make sure the unit comes back to you in white-box condition. 2. Prepare for lease events in the next 12 months. Renewals, rent reviews and break clauses cost money, so find them now. Check local rental levels so you don’t get caught out by a rent drop. If you have to give ground on rent, look at what you can win back elsewhere in the lease. 3. Cash flow your portfolio and stop paying tenants’ costs. I’ll walk you through the reconciliation I do every Friday. I’ll also explain why insurance, service charges and utilities should usually be recharged to tenants. Commercial property is a business-to-business relationship, so being “nice” can cost you. 4. Serve dilapidations before tenants leave. Don’t just take the keys back and pick up the repair bill. Set out the required condition early, and use the deposit or personal guarantee if the work isn’t done. 5. Talk to your professional team if they’re giving you sleepless nights. You’re paying them to manage your assets. I’ll explain how to hold them to account, ask for what you need, and smooth out the lumpy years so your income stays predictable. Which one will you do first? Tell me in the comments. I’d love to hear from you. Links mentioned Commercial Property Expo, 4th November, Manchester, 10am–3pm. Tickets are free. Come and find my team and tell them I sent you! Book your free ticket hereNew to commercial property? Head to ncrealestate.co.uk and click Getting StartedWant to talk to us? Book a call here

  4. Oct 13

    Are You Building Wealth or Just Keeping Yourself Busy? With Scott Williams

    Are you actually building wealth through property, or are you just creating more work for yourself? This week on the Honest Property Investment Podcast, I'm joined by Scott Williams, founder of the Property Developer Show and Commercial Property Expo, to talk about building businesses, investing in property and knowing when it's time to change direction. Scott started his property career as an apprentice in 2015, bought his first property at 23, built and exited a finance brokerage and has since developed a successful events business. But his journey hasn't been straightforward. He's tried different business models, walked away from opportunities that weren't right, sold much of his residential property portfolio and learned that sometimes the best way to grow is to stop spreading yourself so thinly. In this episode, we discuss: Why Scott decided to sell much of his residential portfolio rather than continue accumulating buy-to-lets. How property investment helped provide the capital to build his businesses. The importance of recognising sunk costs and knowing when to walk away. Why being busy doesn't necessarily mean you're building a successful business. How Scott tested different businesses before finding the right opportunity. Why specialising in one area can be more valuable than pursuing multiple property strategies. The importance of building relationships and having people you can turn to for advice. How the Property Developer Show evolved into the Commercial Property Expo. Why commercial property is attracting interest from investors. It's an interesting conversation about property, entrepreneurship and the decisions we make about where to put our time and money. Come and meet Team NCRE at the Commercial Property Expo! The Commercial Property Expo takes place on 4th November 2026 in Manchester, from 10am to 3pm. There will be exhibitors, speakers and opportunities to meet other commercial property investors and professionals. My team from NCRE will be there, so please come and say hello! Register for your free ticket here:https://portal.commercialpropertyexpo.co.uk/attendee_register.php Find out more about Scott: Property Developer Show: https://www.propertydevelopershow.co.uk Instagram: @scottluiswilliams | @propertydevelopershow | @commercialpropertyexpo If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe to the Honest Property Investment Podcast and share it with another property investor.

  5. Oct 6

    The Commercial Tenants Thriving Right Now… and Those I Wouldn’t Let To

    Are small businesses really being squeezed out of commercial property? And are only the biggest occupiers going to survive? That was the argument somebody made to me on Substack this week — but it simply isn't what we're seeing across the commercial properties we manage. In this episode, I'm sharing what's actually happening on the ground: the types of commercial tenants we're seeing thrive right now, the businesses I'm becoming increasingly cautious about, and what I look for before agreeing to a new tenant. We're seeing particularly strong demand from service-led businesses — including beauty, healthcare, counselling, care services, food-to-go and professional services — alongside continued demand for small workshops, storage and flexible business space. But there are other sectors where I'm asking considerably more questions before handing over the keys. I cover: The commercial tenants we're seeing perform well right now Why service-led businesses are proving resilient Why I love a boring 500 sq ft workshop or storage unit The tenant types I'm currently more wary of Why a successful business isn't necessarily a good tenant for your property What recent tenant failures across our own portfolio have looked like The due diligence we carry out on prospective tenants Why I want to see tenants thinking about business rates, utilities, grants and operating costs before they move in Why I'm increasingly interested in the person behind the business, not just the sector they're operating in The big takeaway? Commercial property isn't dying. Occupational demand is changing. As investors and landlords, our job isn't simply to find somebody willing to sign a lease. It's to understand who needs our space, why they need it and whether they've built a business capable of paying the rent for years to come.

  6. Sep 29

    I’m not an off-market deal girlie

    I’m not an off-market deal girlie. There, I said it. There’s a mythology in property investment that off-market means exclusive, less competition, cheaper and therefore a better deal. But in commercial property, I don’t think those things automatically follow at all. In this episode, I’m talking about why I actively like dealing with agents, why having a property properly exposed to the market can actually help with price discovery, and why some of the hardest deals I’ve tried to negotiate have been directly with sellers who have simply decided what they think their property is worth. I also explain how we actually search for commercial property for our acquisition clients — starting with a clear strategy, understanding what’s on the market, analysing the right opportunities, making evidence-based offers and, importantly, building genuine relationships with the agents operating in that market. Because those relationships are often what eventually lead to opportunities coming to you before they reach the wider market. My point isn’t that you should never buy off-market. It’s that being off-market isn't what makes something a good investment. The numbers, the risk, the lease, the covenant, the location, the capex and the opportunity still have to stack up. If you’d like NCRE to help you find and acquire your next commercial property, you can book a call with the team HERE

  7. Sep 22

    Can I Sell You the Commercial Property Dream?

    What does success in commercial property actually look like? We hear a lot about achieving the highest ROCE, buying at double-digit yields, recycling every penny of capital and building bigger and bigger portfolios. But I’m not convinced that’s the dream. In this episode, I want to sell you a slightly different version of commercial property success. For me, the dream is owning an estate that pays you consistently, has enough financial resilience to deal with the problems that inevitably arise, and doesn’t require you to run it day-to-day. You have good professionals around you who do the legwork. They keep up with changes in their areas of expertise, put those changes into practice, manage the day-to-day and introduce you to the people you need to know. Your role changes. You become the Estate Owner. You make the overarching decisions about capital, acquisitions, disposals, debt, risk and strategy — while your professional team executes. And importantly, you can still get involved in the parts of commercial property you genuinely enjoy. The difference is that your involvement becomes a choice rather than an obligation. I also talk about why we don't tend to hear much from investors who have already achieved this. Perhaps the people quietly receiving their income while somebody else manages the day-to-day simply aren't spending their evenings at property networking events telling everyone about their latest ROCE. Because ultimately, I think there's a much more interesting measure of commercial property success: Is your estate serving you, or are you serving the estate? That’s the commercial property dream I want to sell you.

  8. Sep 15

    You Want a 10% Yield… But Do You Want What Comes With It?

    Everyone wants a higher yield from their commercial property investment... but are you prepared for what comes with it? In this episode, I’m talking about what different yield levels can actually mean in practice. I cover the risks you’re likely to encounter with 10%+ yielding properties, why 8–10% can offer an interesting balance between cash flow and asset management opportunities, and what you’re really buying when you move below 8%. I also talk about competition, realistic timescales for finding these deals and why a higher yield isn’t simply a higher return — there’s usually a reason the market is pricing the property that way. If you have a target yield in mind for your next commercial property investment, this episode will help you understand what you may need to accept to achieve it.

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Confident investing without shortcuts. The Honest Property Investment Podcast gives UK commercial and mixed-use property investors the expert insight, strategic guidance, and no-fluff support they need to build high-performing portfolios that generate income and hold long-term value. Led by Chartered Surveyor Natasha Collins MRICS, each episode dives into smart commercial property strategies, risk mitigation, leasing, valuations, and the realities of property management — all with honesty, integrity, and innovation at its core. 🎙️ New episodes drop every Tuesday at 7am UK time.

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