Property trade body members vote in favour of RE:UK merger
The formation of Real Estate: UK (RE:UK), a representative organisation for the real estate sector, will go ahead after members of three trade bodies voted in favour of a merger.
All members of the Association of Real Estate Funds (AREF), 99.5% of British Property Federation (BPF) members, and 92% of members from the Investment Property Forum (IPF) who voted expressed their support for the merger.
RE:UK will look to serve as a unified voice for the entire real estate sector, comprising institutional and private investors, property companies, developers, asset owners, managers, and advisers.
The group said its activities will be based around six key pillars: advocacy; research and data; thought leadership and innovation; networking and events; upskilling and training; and standards and guidance.
RE:UK will launch on 1 January 2026. Members will initially have dual membership and 2026 will serve as a transitional period as the organisations are fully integrated.
This follows the recent appointment of British Land’s chief executive Simon Carter as president of the BPF.
Anne Breen, AREF chair, said: “The response from the memberships of AREF, BPF and IPF has been overwhelmingly positive and a strong endorsement of our vision for a single, amplified voice for the real estate sector.”
Simon Carter, BPF president, added: “I am delighted that BPF members have expressed their overwhelming support for the creation of RE:UK. I look forward to working with AREF and IPF over the next few months to turn our shared vision for a new powerful body for the sector into reality.”
Clare Thomas, IPF chair, said: “On behalf of the IPF board, I would like to thank IPF members for taking the time to consider the proposal and then giving the merger their strong support. This is the culmination of significant work across all three organisations, and we look forward to the launch of RE:UK in 2026 as an important step forward for the real estate industry.”