Foreigners own 24% of commercial property in UK

London

OVERSEAS investors own almost a quarter of income-producing commercial property in the UK after more than doubling their holdings in a decade, Property Industry Alliance said.

Buyers from abroad held 24 per cent of the shopping malls, warehouses, hotels and office buildings in Britain at the end of 2013, making them the biggest group of owners for the first time, the industry group said on Wednesday in a statement. UK insurers and pension funds are the second-biggest set of landlords with 19 per cent.