Members of the Association of Real Estate Funds (AREF), the British Property Federation (BPF), and the Investment Property Forum (IPF) have voted in favour of merging to create a single, unified trade body for the UK real estate sector.
In a joint statement, the three organisations confirmed the new body will officially launch on 1 January 2026. It was announced in July that the new body would be named Real Estate: UK (RE:UK). It will serve as a consolidated voice for the sector, representing institutional and private investors, developers, property companies, asset owners, managers, and advisers.
Support for the merger was overwhelming, with 100% of AREF members who voted backing the proposal. Among BPF and IPF members who voted, 99.5% and 92%, respectively, supported the move.
Talks to explore the merger were first announced in November last year, as the three organisations looked to streamline representation across the property industry.
The current chairs of AREF, BPF, and IPF will jointly oversee the appointment of a chair and chief executive to lead RE:UK’s first board.
Anne Breen, chair of 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 of BPF, commented: “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 of IPF, added: “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.”
BPF advancing merger with AREF and IPF to create new representative body
