The merger received strong backing, with 100% of voting members from the Association of Real Estate Funds (AREF), 99.5% from the British Property Federation (BPF), and 92% from the Investment Property Forum (IPF) expressing their support.

RE:UK will serve as a unified convenor and voice for the real estate sector, comprising institutional and private investors, property companies, developers, asset owners, managers, and advisers.

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.

With member backing secured, the chairs of AREF, BPF and IPF will now jointly appoint a chair for the first RE:UK board and a chief executive.

RE:UK will launch on 1st January 2026.

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Initially, members will have dual membership and 2026 will be a transitional year as the organisations are fully integrated.

Anne Breen, chair at AREF, commented: “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, 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.”