REITs are a new type of property investment vehicle, launched in the UK on 1 January 2007. They are designed to offer income and capital appreciation from property assets in a tax-efficient way, doing away with the double taxation (corporation tax plus tax on dividends) previously associated with property funds.

REITs are an already established part of the stock market in many other countries. The introduction of UK REITs has created an opportunity to invest in property as an asset class which can be traded as easily as shares, eliminating many of the risks associated with directly investing in bricks and mortar.

The returns from REITs are expected to be closely aligned with those from commercial property, making them an effective way to build a diversified property portfolio.

Benefits of REITs at a glance

• Tax efficient way to invest in property
• Easy to buy/sell property shares
• Possibility of regular high-yield returns
• Lower transaction costs compared to buying property directly
• Effective way to diversify your portfolio

You can hold REITs in our ISA and SIPP accounts.

More about our Investment ISA

More about our SIPP

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Learn more about REITs
We’ve developed a useful ‘10 things you should know about REITs’ guide so you can learn all about their benefits and how to start investing. We recommend that you find out more about REITs before you trade.

New to REITs

Listed below are UK companies which have already converted to REIT status:

For more information on these companies and updates to this list please visit the reita website

Read the REITs article in our Smart Investor