LISTED property unit trust Sycom Property Fund, one of the largest listed property funds, has reported distributable earnings for the year to March of 107,02c a unit

A property unit trust (PUT) is a portfolio of investment-grade properties that provides rental income and capital appreciation. PUTs are a simple way for you to invest in property and receive low-risk returns.

In 2003 the Property Unit Trust and Property Loan Stock sectors generated a total pre-taxation return of 42.6%

Unit trusts recognised for consistent top performance of their underlying property assets

Vacancy levels expected to fall further

A Number of property unit trust companies are restructuring and transferring properties from their fixed-property companies to take advantage of capital gains tax benefits.

Weakness in the listed property sector may not necessarily be bad as it could woo new buyers.

Property unit trust heavyweight Sycom Property Fund may have to adjust the offer price of the new units to be issued in its capital-raising exercise given the recent weakness in listed property stock in general.

Property unit trust giant Sycom Property Fund says it has concluded agreements for about R500m in property deals, which will increase its market capitalisation to about R2,2bn.

the Investec Property Group predicts in its latest newsletter. Investec says investors should be careful to invest in quality stocks and allow the capacity to participate in some of the new listings.