UK retail investors’ activity around property funds has risen by 900% following Brexit compared with the same period a year earlier, according to data from Rplan.co.uk.
The increase in trade was driven by outflows outweighing inflows by more than 12 times, according to the online investment platform’s analysis.
The research mirrors latest data released by the Investment Property Databank that shows UK property values fell by 2.4% in July.
Investor outflows from property funds via rplan.co.uk peaked in the third week following Brexit (commencing 4 July) but dropped sharply thereafter.
In the first weekend after Brexit, UK retail investors ditched property and UK equity funds and switched into global and Japan equities.
“Self-directed investors pulled out of property funds in droves following Brexit, which would have played a role in driving down commercial property prices,” said Stuart Dyer, Rplan.co.uk’s Chief Investment Officer. “But our data suggests that gating was actually quite effective – or rather, than things could have been much worse without the gating/pricing adjustments,” Dyer said.