For investors from across the world, UK residential property is seen as one of the best investments available. This is for good reason. It has a track record of delivering strong, stable returns in a way that is relatively easy to understand and implement. The trouble is, the market has changed. The investors of the future value sustainability more than ever before. There is unprecedented and growing demand for Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) investing, now worth $30 trillion in Assets Under Management each year, around a quarter of all professionally managed assets.

The traditional goal of profit maximisation is being replaced. Investments must increasingly be profitable as well as sustainable: economically resilient with positive ESG metrics. Yet the UK residential property market – worth over £7.5 trillion – is lagging behind. There is very little clear, easily usable guidance for those responsible for a huge proportion of the market: private investors. The positive impacts of sustainable property investing – for profit-motivated investors, people and the planet – could be huge. The financial, environmental and social costs of getting it wrong could be catastrophic.

To get this right and to avoid the risks of getting it wrong, it is vital to understand: