Members from the Association of Real Estate Funds (AREF), the British Property Federation (BPF) and the Investment Property Forum (IPF) have backed the creation of a new real estate organisation called Real Estate:UK (RE:UK).
All AREF members supported the move, with 99.5% of BPF members and 92% of IPF members agreeing.
RE:UK will bring together institutional and private investors, property companies, developers, asset owners, managers and advisers.
The new organisation will focus on advocacy, research and data, thought leadership and innovation, networking and events, upskilling and training, and standards and guidance.
Following the vote, the chairs of AREF, BPF and IPF will work together to appoint a chair for the first RE:UK board and a chief executive.
RE:UK is set to launch on 1st January 2026.
Members will have dual membership at first, with 2026 acting as a transitional year as the merger is finalised.
Anne Breen, chair at AREF, 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, president at BPF, said: “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, chair at IPF, 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.”
