Last year UK residential property became new investment hot spot. The total return from UK commercial property was 18.3%, and from UK property equities a whopping 43%. However, two of Scotland's leading IFAs disagree strongly over future prospects for the sector.
"We are advising clients to invest 20% to 30% of their portfolios in commercial property funds," says Andy Cowan of fee-based However, Alan Steel, principal of Alan Steel Asset Management, thinks " we are in a property bubble – I would not advise clients to invest more than 5% in this sector. Equities are a far better long-term bet."
Either way, providers like Fidelity and Deutsche Asset Management are considering launching property funds.
Meanwhile, there are just four onshore unit trusts in this sector, from Aberdeen Asset Management, New Star, Norwich Union and Britannic Asset Management. All showed double-digit returns last year. For instance, Aberdeen's property Share trust was up 26.6% for the year, and New Star's Property trust by 18.14%.
There are many more offshore unit trusts run by well-known UK managers and investing in UK commercial property. There are also a couple of investment trusts, TR Property and the Trust of Property Shares, which gained respectively 48% and 63% last year. Some of these invest directly in property, buying bricks and mortar. Others buy shares in property companies, other property trusts and may also invest directly.
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