De-risking

The roar of the city can be deceptive. For many, it's just background noise, but for Jerome Roith, it was the sound of opportunity, even when he was living on the eighth floor of a council tower block on Edgeware Road. The transition from a muse house in Hyde Park to the stark reality of a council estate in the early '90s wasn't just a culture shock; it was the ignition point for a career built on grit, market disruption, and the relentless pursuit of Planning Gain. While others were mourning the end of the Thatcher era, Roith was serving ice cream at Whiteleys Shopping Centre, observing the movement of money and the hunger of the hustle. His entry into the world of property wasn't paved with elite business degrees. It was forged in the 'Wild West' of estate agency in the mid-90s, an era of brown envelopes, cash-in-hand runners, and a supply of repossessions that never seemed to end. This was where he first learned the cardinal rule of the game: you make your money when you buy, not when you sell. He didn't just watch the market; he immersed himself in it, eventually signing his own commercial lease at age 24 with nothing but raw ambition and zero business training. It was a time of Cool Britannia and easy bank overdrafts, an environment that rewarded the bold and punished the hesitant. The International Pivot and the Russian Encounter The trajectory of a true entrepreneur is rarely linear. Roith's journey took a sharp, adrenaline-fueled turn when he pivoted into the nightclub business in Cape Town. Operating on Long Street, he imported London DJs and navigated a world of protection rackets and raw poverty. This period was more than just a diversion; it was a masterclass in risk management and the value of a civilized, democratic business environment. It taught him the power of 'no'—a skill that would prove life-saving when he returned to London and found himself sitting across from the first wave of Russian Oligarchs. Negotiating with partners connected to the Kremlin at the Lanesborough Hotel, Roith was offered directorships in opaque companies. It was a high-stakes moment where the lure of massive capital clashed with the instinct for self-preservation. He chose the latter, walking away from potential millions to maintain control over his life and integrity. This refusal led to a temporary retreat into the corporate world of Chartered Surveyors during the mid-2000s boom, where he operated as a 'hustler' for firms that didn't want academic surveyors, but rather someone who could clean up the Shoreditch and City Fringe markets. Then, the 2008 crash hit, and the corporate safety net vanished in a single Monday morning redundancy meeting. Unlocking the Permitted Development Goldmine Tough markets don't just test resolve; they create the perfect conditions for innovation. In 2012, a chance encounter with an old school friend introduced Roith to a massive regulatory shift: Permitted Development Rights (PDR). This was the catalyst for Sensitive Developments. He moved to Edinburgh, setting up shop in Charlotte Square to target redundant office buildings across Southeast England. The strategy was elegant in its simplicity and devastating in its efficiency: find vacant 1970s office blocks filled with asbestos, secure them subject to prior approval, and flip them to Housing Associations. This era wasn't just about flipping buildings; it was about De-risking the entire development cycle. By aligning with Registered Providers, Roith could forward-fund deals, essentially using the exit strategy to finance the acquisition. He was selling the dream of faster social housing delivery to agencies that had never considered conversions before. This required more than just technical knowledge; it required a visionary pitch that transformed toxic assets into viable residential communities. It was here that he mastered the art of using an 'A-Team' of consultants—top-tier architects, planning consultants, and environmental scientists—to ensure that every application was perceived as 'too big to fail' by local authorities. The Science of 35% Margins and Planning Uplift In today's landscape, where Labor has promised 'spades in the ground,' Roith identifies a new normal. He has moved beyond the simple PDR plays into complex Land Promotion and Planning Uplift. To survive and thrive, a developer must hunt for a 35% margin. This isn't a luxury; it's a buffer against the inherent subjectivity of the planning system. He recounts a devastating failure on a 12-house scheme in Essex that cost a quarter of a million pounds despite having the best barristers in the country. This is the reality of the game: high-stakes gambling where the 'house' (the planning inspector) can reject a scheme based on something as subjective as 'harm to landscape character.' His approach now is laser-focused on Greenfield and Brownfield sites that others ignore. While the masses fight over urban HMOs, Roith is negotiating Compulsory Purchase Orders and 27-acre land deals in Lancashire. He argues that the true money is in the planning gain—the massive value leap that occurs the moment a field becomes a construction site. This requires a scientist's eye for detail and the patience to weather eight-year project cycles. For the next generation of developers, his advice is clear: find the mentor who has already bled for their mistakes, pay for the top-tier advice, and never, ever take 'no' for an answer from a planning officer. The Resilience Factor: Off-the-Pitch Success Ultimately, Roith's 25-year journey reveals that property development is an 'inside job.' Success isn't measured by the Lamborghinis often seen on Instagram; it's measured by the ability to endure emotional pain and maintain clarity under pressure. He credits a six-year daily Meditation practice and breathwork as the foundation of his business longevity. In a world of Gen Z speed and TikTok trends, the property game remains a marathon. Whether it's navigating HMRC portfolios or building executive plots for footballers, the thread remains the same: identify the problem, build the expert team, and ignite the market by unlocking the hidden value in the land beneath our feet.