Our September 2026 Crawley Property Meet brought together another busy room of property investors, landlords, developers, property professionals and business owners for an evening of learning, conversation and new connections.
With a mix of regular attendees and plenty of new faces, the evening offered a good example of what property networking in Crawley is all about. Alongside practical insights from our guest speaker and Resident Experts, there was plenty of time for attendees to talk about their own projects, challenges and opportunities and to build relationships with others working across the property industry.
From knowing about property to actually doing deals
Our guest speaker for September was Tanner H. Hicks of Ajito Property Ltd, a property developer, investor and dealmaker whose experience spans property development, commercial property, HMOs and finance.
Tanner brought an interesting perspective to Crawley Property Meet because his experience extends beyond property alone. Before building his development business, his consultancy career included roles as a lender’s advisor, project manager and consultant on major international infrastructure projects. His work included projects such as Istanbul Atatürk Airport, Skopje International Airport and King Abdullah Economic City.
He went on to establish Ajito to source his own property investment and development projects, working across professional and student co-living and commercial-to-residential schemes. Today, Ajito Property works on residential, commercial and mixed-use development opportunities, alongside private investors and equity partners.
That combination of experience provided the background for a session centred on a challenge many property investors will recognise – knowing plenty about property but still struggling to move from education to execution.
What stops property investors from taking action?
Property is an industry where it is possible to spend a great deal of time learning. There are books to read, courses to attend, deals to analyse and strategies to research. Tanner’s session explored what happens when that education stops helping and starts becoming another reason not to act.
He discussed some of the self-imposed barriers that can keep investors on the sidelines, including fear of getting a deal wrong, waiting for the “right time” and becoming stuck in an endless research loop.
Drawing on his own experience of sourcing, structuring and funding deals across HMOs, commercial conversions and joint venture developments, Tanner used real examples from his property journey, including successes, mistakes and lessons learned.
One of the strongest messages from the session was that deals are not simply found – they can be created.
Rather than continually waiting for the perfect opportunity to appear, Tanner encouraged attendees to think about where and how they can create value. That might mean looking differently at an underused building, understanding how a commercial property could be repositioned, finding the right structure for a deal or bringing together the people and resources needed to make an opportunity work.
It was a particularly relevant message for an audience ranging from people working towards their first property deal to experienced investors looking to grow. Knowledge matters, but eventually it has to be accompanied by decisions and action.
Tanner is Managing Partner at Ajito Property Ltd, which works on live property development and investment projects across strategies including HMOs and co-living, commercial-to-residential conversions, mixed-use property and land with development potential.
Resident Expert insights
Our Resident Experts also shared practical updates from their respective areas of the property industry.
Wayne Greenway from Greenway Associates presented a Green Belt case study showing what can sometimes be achieved by approaching a challenging site creatively. In the example shared on the night, the planning approach helped achieve a 109% increase in the property’s footprint.
For investors and developers, it was a useful reminder not to dismiss a site purely because it presents planning constraints. Understanding the site properly and exploring the available options can reveal potential that is not immediately obvious.
David Farmer from Lime Finance Solutions looked at property finance and, in particular, why the Bank of England base rate does not tell investors everything they need to know about fixed-rate borrowing.
He explained the importance of swap rates in lender pricing, highlighting why property investors assessing finance need to look beyond headline movements in the base rate when trying to understand what may be happening to fixed borrowing costs.
David Lucas Balaguer from Coversure also highlighted the issue of property underinsurance. His update focused on the importance of insuring a property based on its rebuild cost rather than simply using its market value.
For landlords and property investors, it was a useful prompt to review whether existing cover genuinely reflects what it would cost to rebuild a property following a major loss.
Property networking in Crawley is about more than the presentations
The educational sessions are an important part of Crawley Property Meet, but they are only one part of the evening.
Our events are also designed to give people time to meet other property investors, landlords, developers and property professionals, share what they are working on and build useful relationships.
September’s event had a particularly good mix of familiar members of the community and people attending for the first time. Conversations continued throughout the evening, with attendees exchanging ideas, experiences, recommendations and contacts.
Whether somebody is already running a property business or is still exploring their first project, being able to talk to people at different stages of the journey is one of the most valuable parts of a face-to-face property networking event.
Hosted by people working within property and business
Crawley Property Meet is hosted by Simon Pither from PaTMa and Rachael Bosanquet from MFA Business Support.
PaTMa provides property and tenant management software, while MFA Business Support provides outsourced business support. Together, Simon and Rachael host the events with the aim of creating a friendly, useful environment where people can learn from experienced speakers and specialists while getting to know others in the local property community.
Our Resident Experts – Wayne Greenway from Greenway Associates, David Farmer from Lime Finance Solutions and David Lucas Balaguer from Coversure – also contribute their specialist knowledge at events, giving attendees access to perspectives from different areas of the property industry.
Find your next Crawley Property Meet
Crawley Property Meet brings together Crawley property investors and the wider property community for regular opportunities to learn, meet new people and build relationships.
If you are a property investor, landlord, developer, property professional or business owner – whether you have years of experience or are relatively new to property – you are very welcome to join us.
View our upcoming Crawley Property Meet events and come along to the next one.