Becoming a member

Membership of AREF gives people in our industry the opportunity to get involved, discussing and debating the key issues, challenges and opportunities they face. Together we can protect investors’ interests, optimise the operational environment for fund managers and help the industry adapt and evolve.

AREF membership gives you a voice. Help set our agenda. Get involved. Together we can make a difference.

View our Member Directory by clicking here.

Click on the four tabs below to find out further information about each of our membership categories, including member benefits, fees, how to apply and the application process.

Fund Membership

Our Fund Members are all sizes, large to small; open-ended and closed-ended; balanced to sector specific; core, to value-add, through to opportunistic.

Fund Members can:

  • Be any legal structure
  • Be domiciled in any well-regulated jurisdiction
  • Invest in any form of real estate (e.g. direct, indirect, equities, debt, derivatives)
  • Invest in any real estate sector (all commercial, residential, agricultural, healthcare, etc)
  • Invest in any geographic market

Fund Membership benefits

Our Fund Membership is seen as the gold standard for real estate funds.  Those members who comply with our Code of Practice and achieve the highest standard of transparency and corporate governance will receive the AREF Quality Mark.  Member funds may use the AREF logo, the Quality Mark and refer to the Code in their documentation.

Through our Committees and Working Groups, manager representatives can participate in the lobbying and consultation work that we undertake, to the direct benefit of their funds.

Highly important for most, member funds are entitled to participate in the quarterly produced, AREF/IPD UK Property Fund Index and AREF/IPD Property Fund Vision publication.

Each fund also has its own page on this site (see our Member Directory), where high level information about the fund can be maintained and a link to the fund’s, or manager’s web-site is included.

Fund Membership is at a fund level, which means that, as well as the fund manager, all employees working in relation to the fund (including product, tax and business development for example) can enjoy full membership benefits. 

Lastly, all member representatives receive our newsletter, invitations to seminars and social events and access to other, member only, areas of this web-site.

Fund Membership fees

NAV<= £250m is £8,500 per annum (+ VAT)
NAV> £250m and <= £1 bn is £10,000 per annum (+VAT)
NAV> £1 bn is £12,500 per annum (+VAT)

Renewals are due 1st November each year.

Fees are pro-rated accordingly to joining date. 

How to apply

If you are interested in joining AREF, please complete our 'Enquiry Form' and someone from the AREF Team will contact you.

The application process

  • Fund meets with member of the AREF team
  • Fund submits Full Member Application Form (this form will be emailed to you once you have spoken to one of our team).
  • Fund completes Self-Certification Process to confirm complaince with the AREF Code of Practice.  
  • Membership request submitted to AREF Board for approval.

Affiliate Membership

Our Affiliate Members are those firms that advise and support the fund managers, including lawyers, accountants, tax advisers, fund administrators, valuers, asset managers and building consultants. 

Our affiliates make a valuable contribution to AREF, actively involved, participating in committees, often contributing specialist knowledge, speaking at and regularly hosting our events.

Affiliate Membership benefits

Through our Committees and Working Groups, Affiliate representatives can participate in the lobbying and consultation work that we undertake, to the direct benefit of their fund clients and to their own firms in the interaction with other individuals across the industry.

This interaction is also highly important for most affiliate firms through the events that we promote ourselves, where firms are often pleased to provide venues and speakers, and also through co-promoted events which we can promote to our membership.

Affiliate Members have a link from this site direct to their own web-site.

Affiliate Membership is at a corporate level, which means that all employees of the firm can enjoy full membership benefits - these include receiving our newsletter, invitations to seminars and social events and access to other, member only, areas of the web-site.

Affiliate Membership fees

£5,000 per annum.

Renewals are due 1st November each year.

Fees are pro-rated accordingly to joining date

How to apply

If you are interested in joining AREF, please complete our 'Enquiry Form' and someone from the AREF Team will contact you.

The application process

  • Firm meets with a member of the AREF team.
  • Firm submits an Affiliate Member Application Form (this form will be emailed to you once you have spoken to one of our team).
  • Membership request submitted to AREF Board for approval.

Associate Membership

Our Associate Members encompass real estate investment managers who may not yet manage funds eligible for membership or who are not yet in a position to commit to fund membership but do support our principles around sound governance and transparency.

Associate Membership benefits

Our Associate Membership is seen as the gold standard for real estate funds. Associate Members will be seen as conducting their business to the same high standards of transparency and integrity as our Fund Members.

Through our Committees and Working Groups, Associate representatives can participate in the lobbying and consultation work that we undertake, to the direct benefit of their businesses. These, as well as our events, allow interaction with other individuals across the industry and sharing of knowledge.

Associates may also have a link from this site direct to their own web-site.

Associate Membership is at a corporate level, which means that all employees of the firm can enjoy full membership benefits - these include receiving our newsletter, invitations to seminars and social events and access to other, member only, areas of the web-site.

Associate Membership fees

£5,000 per annum (+VAT).

Renewals are due 1st November each year.

How to apply

If you are interested in joining AREF, please complete our 'Enquiry Form' and someone from the AREF Team will contact you.

The application process

All applications for Associate Membership need to be submitted to the Board for approval - once application approval has been received, the following can commence:

  • Prospective member meets with member of the AREF team. 
  • Firm submits Associate Member Application Form (this will emailed to you).
  • Recommendation submitted to Board for approval.

Why is AREF relevant to investors?

For some years, sound governance has been high on every investor’s agenda, perhaps now more so than ever. AREF’s Code of Practice hits that target square in the centre, promoting best practice across the main areas of concern for any investor, based on three key principles; operational integrity, transparency and accountability.

Indeed, our Code is widely recognised as the gold standard for corporate governance and transparency for real estate investment vehicles – effectively, our equivalent to the world renowned Stewardship Code. Every member fund of AREF has to sign up to the Code, moving them from mere statements of intent, to a much more demonstrable commitment to the highest standards.

What is the AREF Quality Mark?

In June 2018, AREF launched its very own Quality Mark. Once a fund has certified that they comply by our latest Code, reviewed annually, AREF verifies this and issues them with that year’s Quality Mark for them to use on client reports and marketing materials. This makes it much easier for investors and their advisers to discern which funds have signed up. We hope it gives investors some reassurance and helps them make better informed investment decisions.

Has your real estate investment got the AREF Quality Mark?  Read more on our Quality Mark here.

But why would an investor join AREF?

Much of what AREF is striving to achieve is ultimately for the benefit of the underlying investors in the funds that make up our membership, not just the industry participants involved. Further to establishing industry standards and promoting best practice, AREF acts as a forum, bringing people together to discuss and debate key issues, challenges and opportunities. Together with our lobbying activities, AREF seeks to protect investors’ interests, optimise the operational environment for fund managers and help the industry adapt and evolve.

Being an Investor Member of AREF gives you access to all our events (free to attend) and keeps you plugged into what’s happening in the real estate investment industry. You’ll receive monthly newsletters, industry updates, research papers and invites.

Importantly, Investor Membership of AREF gives you a voice. Help set our agenda, either via our Investor Committee or through any one of our other eight committees. 

Free membership!

As the real estate funds pay for membership, investors in real estate funds, and their advisers, can join AREF as Investor Members - free of charge.

Register for free Investor Membership by emailing us at: [email protected].

 

View our Member Directory