By Fred Lee, senior associate, Farrer & Co

Trustees of charities in the UK have long been required to consider the management of their property holdings and investment strategies in accordance with the best interests of their given charity.

This duty derives from the charitable objectives – which can be environmental or social in nature – and the reputational pitfalls of not meeting the requirements placed on trustees holding real estate assets. 

By virtue of the Charities Act 1993 and later the Charities Act 2011, trustees have had to w...