Association for Rental Living announce new Chairs for London and South East Hub

Tom Lord, Senior Director of Operations at Greystar will serve as the new Co-Chair of the London and South East Hub alongside Matt Halfpenny, Co-founder of Residential Living Recruitment, also appointed Co-Chair. 

Lord’s 20-year experience in the sector includes extensive strategic development and implementation work, operational team leadership, and process improvement and innovation, with a keen focus on creating high-performing cultures. An action-oriented and decisive individual well-used to delivering at pace, Lord is excited to take on his new responsibilities as Co-Chair of the London and South East Hub alongside Halfpenny.

Working on behalf of the very best the residential living space has to offer, Halfpenny has shown significant commitment to talent development within sector, driving progress and innovation through his people-first approach. Expert in building effective team structures, Halfpenny will embrace his role as Co-Chair to bring the very best from the Hub members. 

The new appointments follow a busy first two years for the London and South East Hub, which was established in autumn 2023. Key achievements during that time have included a strong focus on profile-raising work of the rental living sector to engagement with local councils and two highly successful study tours in London and Brighton. 

Brendan Geraghty, CEO, Association for Rental Living, comments: “The Association for Rental Living is grateful to our outgoing Chair, Sam Smith, and Vice Chair, Karen Standing, for their outstanding leadership of the London and South East Hub since its inauguration. The Hub has evolved at pace, and their drive and vision has been invaluable in establishing it as a key means of delivering the ARL’s strategic objectives in the region. 

“We are delighted to welcome Tom and Matt to their new roles in the Hub, leading its ongoing work promoting collaboration and addressing the unique challenges and opportunities facing the residential living sector in London and the wider South East.” 

Tom Lord, Director – UK Operations, Greystar, said: “The London and South East Hub has become an essential platform for sharing insight, building networks, and advancing best practice across the rental living sector. At a time when housing challenges are intensifying, the group’s role in fostering collaboration and championing high-quality, professionally managed homes has never been more important. I’m looking forward to working with peers across the region to build on the strong foundations already in place. Our strategy for the hub this year is to build a strong community for Next Gen operators, we are very excited to engage this group and support their growth. ” 

Matt Halfpenny, Co-founder of Residential Living Recruitment, comments: “I’m delighted to take up the role of Co-chair for the London and SE Hub.  I was really pleased with some of the events we were able to put on last year, including a very successful roundtable event on careers and talent development in the residential rental sectors.  I look forward to working with Tom Lord and my fellow London and SE Hub members to drive the sector even further forward in 2026.”