Planet Property

Critical acclaim: ‘A well written, succinct, and accurate overview…. Essential reading for anyone interested in this as a career…..It goes into some detail about the property crash and subsequent recovery and explains the stupidity that abounded in the investment banking sector brilliantly.’


Planet Property details the inner workings of the UK commercial property, residential development, and rental markets. The book provides a plain-English explanation of how Planet Property spins. The narrative is set against the roller-coaster background of the ten-year boom which ended in 2007 with the biggest crash in modern property history.  A preface added in 2023 brings fresh perspective. Students have dedicated chapters explaining the world of property, its history, inhabitants - and how and why so much money can be made and lost. Author and journalist Peter Bill explains the roles and relationships between those who fund, develop, own, trade, broker, manage and provide professional and legal advice on offices, shops, industrial property and new-build homes.


Peter's 11-year editorship of property bible Estates Gazette and his City pages column in the London Evening Standard provided access to leading politicians, bankers, investors, agents, and the foremost developers of the era. Many major figures gave interviews for Planet Property. This informed and lively tale is filled with insights and sparkles with anecdotes Peter has gathered during his years of high-level access. Planet Property is the first full guide to the GBP400 billion sector since Oliver Marriott's The Property Boom in 1967 and Alastair Ross Goobey's Bricks and Mortals published in 1992.