Property

Property funds have topped the latest sales charts from the Investment Management Association (IMA), with retail investors pumping a net £491m into the asset class in May.

Liberty Living, a subsidiary of troubled student property fund Brandeaux, has pulled a planned £400m IPO less than a month after announcing it.

Aviva Investors has raised its annual forecast for returns from commercial property to 8.9% over the next five years, despite the threat interest rates may rise as early as this year.

The HC Mansion UK Student Accommodation Income & Growth fund has deferred redemptions as it becomes the latest fund in the sector to suffer liquidity problems.

F&C property managers Guy Glover and Marcus Phayre-Mudge have identified four key issues which could impact investors in the property sector.

Henderson is to convert its £1.8bn property unit trust to an OEIC in advance of a potential conversion into a Property Authorised Investment fund (PAIF).

The trend for increased capital expenditure and M&A activity is spreading to the property sector as firms begin to upgrade their offices after years of delays.

Brandeaux is plannning to float the portfolio of its Student Accommodation fund in a bid to help meet redemption requests.

Britain's two state-backed banks have retreated from lending to the London property market since the financial crisis, in a sign of caution amid fears of an inflating housing bubble.