Phil Spencer

Philip John Edward Spencer[1] (born 11 December 1969) is a British media personality, television presenter and journalist,[2] best known as the co-presenter of Channel 4 property show Location, Location, Location along with its spin-off Relocation, Relocation between 2004 and 2011 alongside Kirstie Allsopp.[3]

For other people named Philip Spencer, see Philip Spencer (disambiguation).

Phil Spencer
Born
Philip John Edward Spencer

(1969-12-11) 11 December 1969
Littlebourne, Kent, England
OccupationTV presenter
businessman
journalist
Years active2000-present
EmployerChannel 4
Notable credit(s)
Location, Location, Location
Relocation, Relocation
Phil Spencer: Secret Agent
Height1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Spouse(s)Fiona Spencer
Children2

Education

Spencer was educated at Uppingham School,[4] a co-educational independent school in the small market town of Uppingham, Rutland, in the Midlands, where he was Head Boy.[5]

Business career

Having studied as a surveyor in the early 1990s, Spencer decided that the housing market was heavily biased towards the sellers in terms of professional support available, and saw an opportunity to set himself up as a home finder.[6] He founded property search company Garrington Home Finders Ltd in 1996.[6] He describes himself as not the first to see this opportunity "but I was probably second or third, and Kirstie [Allsopp] was the fourth."[6] The company entered into liquidation in early 2009, a victim of the credit crunch that followed the financial crisis of 2007–2008.[6] It was eventually saved by one of Spencer's former office managers.[6]

He remains an active property investor and landlord.[7] He is director and shareholder of Raise The Roof Productions, a company which describes itself as the largest "true" independent production company in Scotland and one of Channel 4's biggest suppliers.[8]

He launched the website Move iQ in 2018[9] to redress the imbalance in the UK property market, where usually only the seller and the landlord are professionally represented.[10] and tenants[11] in the UK.

Media career

Spencer has maintained his reputation as a UK property expert and in early 2010, Spencer partnered with co-host Kirstie Allsopp and launched a new independent production company called Raise the Roof with colleagues from IWC Media.[12]

Spencer has also continued his writing career. He has written three books in total and in April 2010 his book Adding Value to Your Home was published.[13]

In November 2012, it was announced that Spencer would host a new daytime game show The Common Denominator, on Channel 4. The show aired for one series of 39 episodes.[14]

Personal life

Spencer grew up in Littlebourne, Kent and lives in Hampshire, with his Australian wife Fiona, and their two sons Jake and Ben.[6] He is an Ambassador for SOS Children's Villages.[15] He is a patron of St Mungos, a London homelessness charity.[16][17] He is also an active supporter of the Countryside Alliance.[18]

In August 2014, Spencer was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian opposing Scottish independence in the run-up to the 2014 referendum on that issue.[19]

Phil Spencer was interviewed by The Times in May 2018 about his own move and the launch of Move iQ where "he hopes to help people through the process and answer some of the questions most commonly asked".[20]

Bibliography
  • Spencer, Phil (2004). How to Buy a House. Vermilion. ISBN 978-0718147341.
  • Spencer, Phil (2010). Adding Value to Your Home. Vermilion.
  • Spencer, Phil (2011). How to Buy Your First Home. Vermilion.

References
  1. "Spotlight On... Phil Spencer". Western Mail. 24 January 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  2. "Phil Spencer's guide to negotiating thousands of pounds off the price of your dream home". Telegraph. 14 October 2019.
  3. Latest. "Phil Spencer's biography". Channel4.com. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  4. School details – Uppingham Archived 7 November 2017 at the Wayback Machine Guide to Independent Schools
  5. "Phil Spencer". TVLives. Archived from the original on 27 August 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  6. Property Market (29 July 2009). "Phil Spencer: from boom to bust". Telegraph. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  7. "Phil Spencer: What the terms confusing first time buyers actually mean". iNews. 8 October 2019.
  8. "About us - Raise The Roof Productions - Raise the Roof". Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  9. Scott, Caroline. "Property guru Phil Spencer's top tips for buying and selling". www.thetimes.co.uk.
  10. The Telegraph (12 December 2018). "Phil Spencer: 10 ways to get around untrustworthy estate agents when buying a home". The Telegraph. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  11. "Phil Spencer launches new podcast for rental sector and buyers". www.lettingagenttoday.co.uk. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  12. Deans, Jason (15 March 2010). "Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer set up independent production company". guardian.co.uk.
  13. Markosky, Cheryl (12 April 2010). "Phil Spencer: how to add value to your home". The Telegraph.
  14. "Channel 4 Commissions The Common Denominator". Endemol Distribution News. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
  15. "SOS Children's Celebrity Supporters". SOS Children's Villages. Retrieved 27 September 2009.
  16. No tenant? What about the homeless? The Independent, 17 October 2010
  17. Real Lettings, Real Lives Archived 13 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine Broadway Homelessness and Support, 13 October 2010
  18. Countryside Alliance Update Countryside Alliance, autumn 2010
  19. "Celebrities' open letter to Scotland – full text and list of signatories | Politics". theguardian.com. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  20. Scott, Caroline (13 May 2018). "Property guru Phil Spencer's top tips for buying and selling" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
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