About us

We serve the estimated 1.5 million British-resident owners* and 30,000+ annual buyers of a foreign property; freehold, leasehold and timeshare.

Our website and downloadable guides are currently free to use in our beta launch phase and we aim to deliver the following value to owners & buyers in four key areas:

*The last UK Government Census (in 2011) puts at 820,814 the number of British residents (excluding Scotland) who own a foreign property. The timeshare industry puts at 640,000 British residents owning a foreign timeshare (February 2017). With the addition of Scottish buyers and purchases since 2011, we estimate the total number to be around 1.5 million. +Industry estimate

Our goal is to help you to Buy right… and Own well

The last 20 years has seen a huge increase in the number of British residents owning a foreign property or timeshare, bringing with it high emotional and financial investment. There is no-one else representing this largely dissociated group of people. The Alliance provides a unique voice for UK resident owners and together that voice can be heard.

Buy right

After-the-event action by disappointed buyers and owners of a foreign property or timeshare is both emotionally and financially draining, especially if expensive legal work is required to correct individual malpractice. We want to continue the work of the AIPP in educating consumers to look for companies who have signed up to an industry-driven code of conduct such as propertymark (UK domestic property), AIPP (UK buyers of a foreign property) and RDO (buyers of a European timeshare).

There is NO compunction for companies operating in the property or timeshare space to join and be self-regulated by such bodies, BUT, buying through a member of such an organisation does come with certain assurances and buyers should read carefully what these are as they differ by organisation to organisation.

There are various laws and regulations set out to govern the overseas property market and you can see what these are via this link to the Compliance Guidelines issued by AIPP. That said, anybody can set up in business in the UK and Spain, for example, to sell property from country to buyers in another.

Sellers of timeshare products should comply with an EU Directive setting out how companies operating in this area must behave. The RDO, backed by their members, operate a code of conduct and play a major role in both compliance and enforcement to protect buyers and owners of a timeshare.

Own well

It makes sound sense for the foreign property industry to support what it helps to create – owners of a foreign property or timeshare. As such, the trade members of AIPP & RDO (Resort Development Organisation), including estate agents, property developers, lawyers, resort owners, holiday ownership exchange providers, financial services and others, have taken the lead to devise, launch and co-fund the Alliance.

Though the catalyst for this initiative was BREXIT, and the unique challenges this represents, the Alliance is not a single-issue campaigning organisation. Long after BREXIT and its aftermath, there will be the need for British resident owners of a foreign property or timeshare to access the guidance, support & community facilitated by this Alliance.

We see the future of the Alliance as run very much by, and for, the membership, utilising owner stories for learning and inspiration, and campaigning on issues that are relevant to owners of foreign property.

With a growing, collective group we can also negotiate discounts and offers that help to reduce the cost of ownership – look at our partner page to see current affiliations.

The Alliance is funded by several organisations and commercial companies to ensure that our core service to owners and buyers is provided entirely free of charge.

The majority of funding is provided by the AIPP (Association of International Property Professionals) and the RDO (Resort Developers Organisation).

Several commercial companies also provide support to help fund our work, which comes either as a direct monthly contribution and / or a commission from business they derive from users of our site. Please see our Professional Partners page for a full list of current supporting companies, more are being added as we grow. Companies are subject to our own due diligence process and, where applicable, are regulated by the appropriate body.

We have been given assurances by the participating commercial companies that the price you pay for using their services through our website are the same you will get elsewhere and may possibly be at a discount. The commision we receive is built-into the price they charge and is payable to all 3rd parties listing their services and cannot be avoided by going directly to that company providing the product or service. Whilst we will use our best endeavours to ensure this remains so, please do contact us if you find differently.

The Alliance only accepts a small amount of advertising from our strategic partners. Only one partner is permitted in each highly relevant area pertinent to owners and buyers needs.

The Alliance editorial neutrality is ensured (without undue influence from contributing parties) and is enshrined in our Editorial Policy & Code.

In common with other organisations, campaign causes and individuals, we are open to the potential to crowdfund additional finances online to support key aspects of our work on your behalf. We would anticipate this being for a specific activity (as pre-agreed with you, the members of the Alliance) for lobbying or preparing and delivering legal representation to a relevant authority on your behalf. That said, the Alliance of International Property Owners are members of the Tourism Alliance through which certain aspects of lobbying may be delivered both at UK & European level, some of which may be delivered without the need for crowdfunding.

The Alliance editorial policy is to present a balanced and fair view on the subjects we cover, without bias and undue influence.

We will never sell data derived from our site to our partners or other 3rd parties. Please see our Privacy Policy & Data Protection Statement.

Regardless of the funding the Alliance receives from our partners, we will never allow third party influence to alter our editorial policy or to allow overt selling to take place. If we get a query about this from a registered member of the Alliance we will investigate immediately and seek to correct this. Third party contributors have been chosen for a combination of reasons and their acknowledged expert status should afford them opportunity to provide you with valuable advice & service. If you wish to transact with them through the Alliance (and from which we may derive a small commission) then you will be doing so of your own free will and be supporting our work to help you.

Whilst we will always strive to deliver this policy, please do contact us at info@aipo.org.uk if you think we have not done this. Please note that external user and member-derived content in our community pages may not reflect the views of the Alliance.

Before the advent of the Alliance, AIPP had previously brought to the attention of UK MP’s & Lords issues of concern affecting British owners of a foreign property. AIPP presented a White Paper to MP’s in Parliament, November 2014, sent an AIPP BREXIT briefing paper to the Rt Hon David Davis MP in July 2016 and has engaged with the UK Cabinet Office with regard to their High Potential Secondment Programme in February 2017 – dialogue still open, inconclusive outcome to date. You can read more about these initiatives on the AIPP website – www.aipp.org.uk

Lasting engagement with UK Government has been difficult to maintain, however, as successive Housing Ministers (21 UK Housing Ministers in the last 15 years…) have restated; the Government’s position is not to regulate the UK or seek (via the EU) to regulate the international property market, preferring to rely upon industry self-regulation. BREXIT related issues pertaining to the rights of British resident owners of a foreign property are, currently, not sitting in any one government department.

As the BREXIT process moves forwards, with inconclusive outcomes, we have our catalyst to organise and prepare, not just for the next few years, but looking forwards far beyond that.

Engagement with the Alliance to simply receive our newsletters would be a great help to everyone involved in this process.

The Alliance and its sister company, AIPP, provide free and impartial information to UK citizens about buying a foreign property and promote to buyers & owners the benefits of using AIPP members to do so. Neither the Alliance or AIPP sell properties, but AIPP is an association made up of property sellers & associated companies who voluntarily subscribe to the AIPP code of conduct.

The AIPP does not underwrite the business activities of its members. AIPP does monitor and enforce its code of conduct and does, from time to time, take disciplinary proceedings against members that may lead to their sanction – but expulsion from the AIPP is the ultimate sanction we can impose. In common with other trade organisations, the AIPP does not underwrite for the benefit of members of the public any shortcomings or negligent acts by its members.

That said, AIPP Business Members are also subscribed to the independent and specialist The Property Ombudsman service. Members of the public can, at no cost to themselves, make a complaint about an AIPP member which, if upheld by The Property Ombudsman, could lead to an award of compensation being made to the complainant of up to £25,000 – such an award being payable by the AIPP member. For further details of this service please visit Dispute Resolution Procedure on the AIPP site.

You can unsubscribe from our newsletters at any time and we will never give your contact details to 3rd parties. We are registered with the ICO, Registration reference: ZA334523, adhere to the Data Protection Act 1998 and fully comply with the new EU GDPR provision in force from May 2018 (General Data Protection Regulations).