EddScott

Where can we go to get info on starting a Unit Trust.

Not an account, do that for clients every day. I want info on setting up a proper unit trust fund with offshore property as its asset.

G70 Investment Portfolio Management qualification all round
FSA change of permissions
£3m +

I dare say our compliance consultants could advise us but just wondered if anyone on here had in/direct involvement.

Longjing

Your long shot came in I'd get down the bookies if I were you

I've set up many unit trusts. Offshore property funds in particular, in recent times, and it seems to me you're looking at either

(i) an unauthorised fund onshore (i.e. not itself regulated or controlled by FSA in any way, although the fund operator needs to be authorised appropriately - which means permish covering operating unregulated collective investment schemes)

(ii) something offshore - Guernsey or Jersey typically.

I know a few people who do this if you'd rather get a 3rd party operator in.

E2A: free info on precisely how you set a fund up is hard to come by. Your sources are likely to be (i) a lawyer who is willing to give you a free heads up or (ii) a fund operator who wants your business. There are a few firms that run 'bespoke' collective investment schemes for clients - so you go to them with a deal/target property and perhaps an investor base or at least an idea of who will invest, and they set up and run the fund, issue a prospectus etc.

If you're an IFA type business the first question is whether you want to run the fund yourself, or just want to intruduce the deal and investors and get a fee here and there. If you want to run it, all sorts of questions come up.

It sounds to me like what you need is a third party operator to be honest. Let me know if you want more info... there's at least one place I can think of where you can get this done, and if I recall correctly they have a brochure for download too.