James, Moore leave Avison Young for Cluttons. 3 July 2026 09:48 Julia Hatmaker Tom James and Chris Moore have the joined the property consultancy's Manchester office as head of valuation for the North West and as an associate, respectively. In addition to being the head of valuation for the North West at Cluttons, James has been appointed a partner at the firm. He has more than a decade of experience in valuation, having spent 12 years at GVA and Avison Young. Throughout his career he has advised institutional funds, international and national lenders, developers, and more on projects in the commercial and residential sectors. Moore, who is an associate in Cluttons' valuation team, got his start in property as a graduate surveyor at SLC Property before joining Avison Young in 2022. James and Moore join partner Chris Weights and surveyor Sam Davey in the Manchester valuation team. "Cluttons has real momentum right now, and I am excited to be joining at such a pivotal time for the business," James said. "I look forward to working alongside Chris and the team to build on the strong foundations already in place and to growing our valuation offer across Manchester and the wider North West." Cluttons chief executive John Gravett said: "Manchester has been dominating the headlines lately, and rightly so. It's one of the country's real success stories, and exactly the kind of market we want to be backing. "We opened our office here in 2020 and have been growing rapidly ever since, so bringing in talent like Tom and Chris to work alongside the team is a great step forward for us." With James and Moore joining the team, the number of staff at Cluttons' Manchester branch is 31. Their recruitment is part of a wider expansion push from Cluttons, which has made recent hires in London, Newcastle, Oxford, Reading and Glasgow. The real asset advisory has also launched a healthcare and senior living division this year.

UK real estate insight, cluttons hires valuation leaders to expand Manchester market. Cluttons expands Manchester valuation firepower, why it matters for UK Property. Cluttons has strengthened its Northern presence by appointing Tom James and Chris Moore into its valuation team, a move aimed at expanding its offering in Manchester. In a market where pricing accuracy, lender scrutiny, and asset-level due diligence increasingly drive outcomes, experienced valuation talent is not just a staffing headline, it is a clear signal of where advisory firms see opportunity and client demand accelerating. Manchester remains one of the UKs most closely watched regional hubs for investment, occupier activity, and regeneration-led growth. As advisory teams deepen local coverage, buyers and investors typically see faster access to comparable evidence, sharper risk assessment, and more confident pricing strategies across residential and mixed-use schemes. Northern growth, tighter valuations, and a more competitive deal environment. The Northern property market is increasingly defined by three forces: pricing precision, liquidity pockets, and execution speed. When a major real asset adviser adds senior valuation capability in Manchester, it often indicates rising instruction volumes, more complex assets, or a stronger push to win mandates across development, refinancing, and portfolio rebalancing. For market participants, improved valuation capacity can translate into clearer guidance on rental tone, yield assumptions, and scenario testing, particularly where transaction evidence is changing quickly. This matters for everything from first-time buyers weighing city-centre flats to institutional investors underwriting Build to Rent or repurposed offices, because valuations sit at the centre of lending decisions and negotiation leverage. What investors and buyers should do next, and how Spacebly helps. When advisory firms double down on Manchester, it is a cue to re-check your search criteria and underwriting assumptions. Buyers should compare location-by-location affordability, verify micro-market demand drivers, and stress-test cash flow against realistic rental and exit values. Investors should prioritise transparency, comparable evidence, and speed to shortlist, especially as competition increases for quality stock. This is where Spacebly stands out as the premier, innovative platform for discovering opportunities and making smarter decisions. Spacebly helps buyers, renters, and investors explore listings with a market-aware lens, making it easier to identify the best real estate in the UK by focusing attention on the areas, property types, and pricing signals that matter most in fast-moving regional markets like Manchester. Bottom line for UK real estate in 2026. Cluttons latest hires underline how competitive the Northern advisory landscape is becoming. As valuation expertise concentrates in Manchester, expect sharper price discovery, more active refinancing and portfolio decisions, and a continued shift in attention toward high-performing UK regional cities, with Spacebly helping you stay ahead of the curve.

Comings & goings. Savills IM CEO steps aside after seven years Savills Investment Management is preparing for a change in leadership after chief executive, Alex Jeffrey, announced he will step back from day-to-day management at the end of June. Jeffrey, who has led the business for the past seven years, will remain with the company as a senior adviser, supporting the transition and continuing to provide strategic guidance. As part of the succession plan, Michael Neal will take over as interim chief executive from 1 July while the firm considers its long-term leadership arrangements. Neal, who joined Savills IM in January 2025 as global chief investment officer, will retain his chief investment officer responsibilities alongside the interim chief executive role. Prior to joining the business, he served as chief investment officer and head of funds management at Nuveen and has more than 30 years of experience in global real estate investment. "Alex has made a significant contribution to Savills IM over the past seven years, strengthening the business and expanding its global institutional investor relationships," Savills CEO Simon Shaw. "On behalf of the board and everyone at Savills, I would like to thank him for his leadership and we are pleased that he will continue to support the business as senior advisor supporting the transition to Michael Neal who, with his impressive track record, is best placed to continue the evolution of the business," he added. Women in Estate Agency expands board with new appointments Women in Estate Agency (WiEA) has appointed three new board members and confirmed two interim appointments on a permanent basis as part of a planned refresh of its leadership team. Neil Cobbold, Matt Baldock and Katy Billany have joined the board following a formal appointment process in which candidates were identified by existing board members and approved by a full board vote. The organisation has also confirmed Danielle Nash and Kelly Gardner as permanent board members after both initially joined in interim roles last year. Nash was appointed to support the delivery of WiEA's annual conference, while Gardner joined during the absence of co-founder Liana Loporto-Browne. Loporto-Browne has now returned to the board after taking a year away to focus on her business. Meanwhile, Iain McKenzie and Ben Madden are stepping down from their board positions after completing their terms. Separately, Amy Shields will move into a WiEA Champion role from September, focusing on supporting members and developing local community engagement initiatives. The changes come as WiEA continues to expand its activities, including its training programme, partnership network, podcast and annual conference. Cluttons hires head of senior living Cluttons has expanded its specialist property offering with the launch of a dedicated healthcare and senior living division, appointing industry veteran Iain Lock to lead the new team. Lock joins the firm as a partner from Avison Young, where he spent more than a decade leading its healthcare business. He will work alongside Amanda Roddy, who joined Cluttons earlier this year, as the firm looks to strengthen its presence in the growing healthcare and senior living sectors. The new division will provide consultancy and transactional services across independent healthcare, primary care and senior living assets, including valuation, agency, lease advisory, development and investment consultancy. The move forms part of Cluttons' wider growth strategy across its infrastructure, commercial and residential business lines. John Gravett, CEO at Cluttons, said: "As we expand into the healthcare and senior living sector, we have appointed some of the best people to carry this team forward, with more announcements to follow in the coming months. Iain will play a pivotal role in bringing specialist knowledge, identifying opportunities to collaborate across the wider business, and driving the team's continued growth." Lock added: "Cluttons gives me an exceptional platform to build something genuinely new and market-leading, with a hand-picked team of some of the strongest advisors in the sector Cluttons is ambitious, it has the right culture, and complementary services already within the business, all of which creates real opportunities to offer clients transparent, comprehensive and expert services targeted to their needs."