Four in ten charities consider their buildings to be the greatest risk facing their organisation, while in the last three years around half of charities have had trouble getting necessary funding to manage their property, according to a survey published today.

Some 52 per cent of the 250 surveyed for the Charity Property Matters report said that they had experienced difficulty in obtaining funding for their premises in the last three years, with 10 per cent saying that rent and lease costs have been unreasonably high in the same period.

Jo Taylor, director of the Ethical Property Foundation, which published the report said: “Property is typically the second largest cost for charities, after staffing. In today’s economic climate, good management of property issues can make the difference between a charity surviving or sinking.”

The survey also found that most charities do not have a dedicated member of staff for property issues, which is instead managed by the chief executive or a trustee. The Ethical Property Foundation said it believes that charities should take a more strategic approach to managing its property.

Taylor summarised the findings of the survey in last month’s Charity Finance and online on civilsociety.co.uk. Next month’s issue will be looking at the opportunities for the sector.

Charity Property Matters was commissioned by the charity in partnership with the Charity Commission, and was carried out by the consultants Campbell Tickell. It consisted of a survey of 250 charities whose turnover, remit and geographic spread match the sector profile as well as 20 qualitative interviews with representatives from the sector.