A new property guide has been created to help advisers purchase and manage commercial property investment within a Sipp.

Sipp provider and administrator Suffolk Life has created the document which it said will enable advisers to make their way through the “complex process”.

The guide has been designed to be easy to read so that advisers can use it with their clients, the firm said.

It is split into two sections:

1. Before you buy: this covers the benefits and risks of owning property within a Sipp, what you can hold, how the purchase can be funded and other details on the process

2. Post purchase: this section covers the on going requirements and process of holding property within a Sipp, from insurance to letting and what happens if the property is vacant through to the sale of the property

Jessica List, pensions analyst at Suffolk Life, said: “This guide was created in direct response to advisers wanting to have a clear and easy to use document that could be used directly with their clients.

“Purchasing commercial property within a Sipp is complex, particularly as the majority of transactions are connected, and there are lots of things that need to be considered including, most importantly, the HMRC requirements for holding property in a pension.

“The feedback from advisers on this guide has been really positive and we took a number of suggestions on board as we designed it.”

The company’s investor portfolio has grown to over 3,600 commercial properties on behalf of 5,300 plan holders.

Greg Kingston, head of product and insight at Suffolk Life, said: “The previous two Budgets have made property investment via a pension more attractive while making a buy to let more costly.

“Rising house prices and a lack of housing stock are turning investors to commercial property and exploring the options of doing this in the most effective way, such as via a pension.”