Chief Executive’s Review/Continued
We have decided during the year to bring our company secretarial arrangements in house and have recently appointed a dedicated resource here in London. We will be transitioning these arrangements in the coming months, following this year’s Annual General Meeting. We have received positive feedback from recent occupier engagement surveys across our office and industrial assets and have started to roll out occupier apps at a number of our multi-let office assets to improve engagement. Rent collection for the year stood at over 99%. Capital structure We are well placed in terms of our debt structure, with over 95% of borrowing fixed until 2031/32. Our weighted average interest rate is 3.8% per annum, well below current market rates and as our longer-term facilities are fixed directly with our lenders, there is no mark-to-market pricing of our debt in our reported net asset value. This is reflected in our EPRA NDV being £23 million higher than our net asset value.
Enhancing asset quality We have invested £6 million into the portfolio this year, across over 15 separate projects. This is partly a reflection of the current occupancy position but also reflects further upgrading of our assets from a sustainability perspective. We are now reviewing on a project-by- project basis whether it is appropriate to install renewable energy, primarily in the form of solar panels on refurbishments. Three projects on industrial assets have already recently completed and whilst these incur additional costs, in due course they will generate a modest supplementary revenue stream, There is significant work required to upgrade our assets as we seek to reduce emissions from the portfolio and progress on our net zero pathway. This year we have expanded the team and brought in a dedicated Head of Building Surveying to oversee the increasing number of refurbishment projects that we are undertaking. They are now training to become an in-house EPC assessor, which will enable us to better understand and improve our assets. alongside rental income. Operational excellence
One of the key advantages of having a diversified approach and a team with a proven track record of managing assets across sectors through the investment cycle, is that we can draw on this experience during more challenging markets.
Michael Morris Chief Executive
£21m Total acquisitions
27% Loan to value
20
Picton Property Income Limited Annual Report 2023
Powered by FlippingBook