Real estate: Is the UK already over-Reited?

The UK has been eagerly awaiting the introduction of tax-free real estate investment trusts for years, so when the legislation permitting them finally took effect at the start of 2007 nine of the UK’s largest property companies were ready to make the switch.

The companies, which included FTSE 100-listed Land Securities, Slough Estates, BritishLand, Hammerson and Liberty International, all enjoyed double-digit share price rises, valuing them at a premium to their net asset value for the first time in years. Investors snapped them up with the expectation of higher dividend payouts to come.

Share prices for all real estate companies have been soaring partly on investor expectation that some of them will either convert to Reits or be acquired by Reits.

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