Who are we and what do we do?

The Association of Real Estate Funds (AREF) is the body that represents the interests of its fund managers, those firms that advise and support them and the end customers that invest in our member funds. 

Our membership includes over fifty funds spanning the leading real estate fund management houses in the industry, through to smaller, specialist boutiques, with a collective net asset value of over £50bn. We have more than fifty Affiliate members, a number of Associate members and hundreds of Investor members.

Our work focuses on four complementary areas:

The Code

Our unique Code of Practice & Quality Mark are widely recognised as the gold standard in corporate governance.

Read more about The Code here

The Forum

We bring together stakeholders from the real estate investment spectrum to discuss & debate topical issues & to learn/network.

Read more about The Forum here.

The Lobby

We act as the collective voice of the real estate funds industry, working with policy makers, tax, regulatory & other official bodies.

Read more about The Lobby here

The Data

Using MSCI, we act as a repository of member funds data, much valued by investors, analysts and academics.


Read more about The Index here

As well as promoting ‘best practice’, advancing the Code and ensuring compliance by fund members, AREF monitors key topical issues in and around the real estate industry and provides a forum to discuss and debate any potential challenges and/or opportunities they present. The committees organise a range of events, free to all AREF members, including key-note speakers and panel discussions, open consultations, educational seminars and valuable networking functions. Many of these events feed into our lobbying work. Recognised as the leading representative of the real estate fund management industry, we work with policy makers, tax and regulatory authorities and other official bodies to achieve the optimum business environment for real estate funds.