Why JPUTs remain a leading structure for UK real estate investments

Introduction

Jersey property unit trusts ("JPUTs") have long been a cornerstone structure for investment into UK commercial real estate. Recent regulatory changes in Jersey, together with the continued evolution of the UK, US and Luxembourg tax landscape, have reinforced the relevance of JPUTs for institutional, private capital and cross border investors seeking efficient, flexible and well understood holding vehicles.

For many UK centric real estate strategies - particularly those involving tax exempt institutional investors, sovereign and quasi sovereign investors, and other US investors - JPUTs can deliver outcomes that are difficult to replicate using corporate or treaty dependent structures.

Key attractions for investors and sponsors

Tax efficient and investor aligned

JPUTs are typically structured so that tax arises primarily at investor level rather than within the holding vehicle itself. This feature is particularly attractive to tax exempt investors (including UK and US pension schemes, insurance companies, and sovereign investors), helping them to preserve their exempt status and avoid irrecoverable tax leakage that can arise in corporate structures.

Attractive for UK capitals gains and corporate tax purposes

JPUTs can achieve transparency for UK income tax purposes, through appropriate drafting in the trust instrument (effectively qualifying as a 'Baker Trust'), as well as for UK capital gains and corporation tax purposes, through making the appropriate transparency elections - enabling investors to preserve their own tax profiles and exemptions.

SDLT - efficient exits

Secondary transfers of JPUT units are not subject to UK stamp duty land tax. This enables corporate style exits, facilitates partial stake sales and enhances post completion value for purchasers - a material advantage in today's transaction environment.

Flexible structuring, familiar execution

JPUTs offer significant contractual flexibility through the trust instrument, allowing bespoke governance, economic and transfer arrangements. They are widely understood by lenders, advisers and market participants, reducing execution risk and supporting efficient transaction timetables.

Attractive for US investors

For US investors, JPUTs are widely used because they can be structured to achieve UK tax transparency while aligning with US tax classification objectives. Unlike corporate holding vehicles, a JPUT does not automatically operate as a US tax 'blocker'. This can preserve foreign tax credit efficiency and avoid unnecessary entity level tax friction. JPUTs also avoid reliance on UK-Luxembourg treaty claims, substance rules or anti treaty shopping provisions, which are increasingly scrutinised.

A lighter regulatory landscape in Jersey

A simplified regulatory regime

From 13 April 2026, Jersey significantly reformed its Control of Borrowing ("COBO") regime. The practical effect is that:

• Non fund JPUTs no longer require any COBO consent at all.
• Historic COBO consents for non fund JPUTs have automatically ceased.
• Regulation is now firmly targeted at retail facing and fund style structures.

For private capital, joint ventures and single asset real estate JPUTs - particularly those involving institutional or professional investors - this change removes a major regulatory touchpoint and shortens implementation timelines.

Where a JPUT is structured as an investment fund, Jersey's established fund regimes (such as the Jersey Private Fund regime) continue to apply, offering proportionate, fast track regulation for appropriate cases.

Clear advantages over corporate holding vehicles

Despite the extension of UK tax to non resident property gains, and the existence of certain capital gains tax exemptions available on Luxembourg structures, corporate real estate structures can still suffer from double layer taxation, dividend friction, complex tax structuring and treaty reliance. By contrast, a properly structured JPUT can:

• reduce or eliminate entity level tax leakage;
• align more closely with UK domestic tax transparency regimes;
• simplify exits and co investment arrangements; and
• deliver clearer economic outcomes for a wider range of investor types.

Discretion without opacity

While JPUTs benefit from a lighter public filing profile than many corporate vehicles, they operate within a robust framework of Jersey's anti-money laundering, countering financing of terrorism and counter proliferation financing ("AML/CFT/CPF") regime, beneficial ownership reporting, FATCA/CRS compliance and lender disclosure. This balance of privacy and transparency for regulatory purposes continues to be attractive to sophisticated investors.

Bottom line

For UK real estate strategies where capital efficiency, exit flexibility and investor level tax outcomes matter, JPUTs remain a highly effective and market tested solution. The ability to sustain capital gains tax transparency despite the April 2019 UK tax changes to non-resident UK real estate holdings sets JPUTs apart as one of a few vehicles capable of achieving investor objectives in this regard. Recent Jersey regulatory reforms have further strengthened their appeal, making JPUTs simpler to establish and easier to operate than ever before.