A members' organisation for people who invest in and advise on UK property, formed in 1988 and based in Reading, known for research, forecasts and education.
The Investment Property Forum, or IPF, is an organisation for professionals who invest in and advise on property. Its stated aim is to enhance the understanding and efficiency of property as an investment, which it does through research, education and a place for members to network and debate. It is a company limited by guarantee, controlled by its members, and says it is not a lobbying group, although it responds to government consultations when it has evidence to offer. Its best-known outputs include regular consensus forecasts, which gather predictions from many property forecasters, plus research reports and conferences.
The IPF began in 1988 as the Investment Surveyors Forum and was renamed the Investment Property Forum in 1992, when membership was opened to other market professionals. Its research programme started in 2003 and its Investment Education Programme in 1999. In October 2016 the education programme was merged with the Henley Business School at the University of Reading to create a part-time MSc in Real Estate Investment and Finance. It is also a founder member of the Property Industry Alliance, and its current site says it has joined with AREF and the British Property Federation to form Real Estate:UK to represent the wider industry.
The IPF's registered office is in Reading, Berkshire (R+ Building, Blagrave Street). It has regional boards for Scotland, the Midlands and the North, which were set up in 1995, 2000 and 2002, so members outside the South East can take part in events and committees. There is also a NextGen Group, set up in 2011, for members with three to ten years of experience after qualifying, and eight special interest groups on specific topics such as property derivatives, which began in 2005.
The IPF is run by a mix of volunteers and employees. An Operational Board that meets quarterly includes the chairman, vice-chairman, honorary treasurer, chief executive and Research Director, while a Strategic Advisory Group sets direction. Membership subscriptions are its main income. The pages we read do not name staff or give a headcount, and we found no independent descriptions of its working culture. What is clear is that it values members' voluntary involvement, because much of its work is carried out by working groups that form for a project and then disband.
The kinds of work done at an organisation like this include research and data analysis, running events and courses, managing members and committees, writing reports and communications, and finance and administration. The IPF is a good example of the way many specialists in UK property work: it does not buy or sell buildings itself, but supplies the numbers, training and networks that investors and advisers rely on. If you enjoy maths, economics, geography or writing, and are curious about why property values rise and fall, research roles in organisations like this are a way to apply those interests.
Website: www.ipf.org.uk
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