Gatehouse Financial Group has agreed the sale of its UK build-to-rent (BTR) investment and management platform, Gatehouse Living Group (GLG), to global asset manager Apollo.
The deal marks one of the most significant transactions to date in the UK’s single-family BTR sector, underlining continued institutional appetite for large-scale rental portfolios.
GLG, a vertically integrated platform covering both investment and property management, has played a central role in the growth of the UK’s single-family rental market over the past decade.
The business manages more than 10,000 homes nationwide and has developed multiple institutional portfolios in partnership with major global investors.
END-TO-END SERVICES
The transaction includes both Gatehouse Investment Management and Ascend Properties, the group’s operational arm, which provides end-to-end services spanning acquisition, development and ongoing management of rental homes.
Since launching its first fund in 2014 on behalf of the Kuwait Investment Authority, GLG has built five single-family portfolios and exited three, acquiring more than 5,000 homes from major UK housebuilders. Its investor base has included names such as Carlyle, TPG Real Estate Partners and Greykite.
The deal also represents one of the first scaled exits of a single-family housing portfolio platform in the UK, reflecting the maturation of the sector as it attracts deeper pools of institutional capital.
For Gatehouse Financial Group, the sale is part of a strategic pivot towards expanding its retail banking proposition, with a focus on growing its home finance offering across domestic and international borrower segments.
HOLISTIC PLATFORM
Fahed Boodai (main picture), Chairman of Gatehouse Financial Group, says: “I’m incredibly proud of the critical role Gatehouse has played in establishing and growing the UK institutional rental housing market, creating a holistic platform that strategically supports the sector and accelerates the delivery of much-needed, high-quality housing.
“The transaction with Apollo is a testament to Gatehouse’s pioneering position in the market, the strength of the platform and track record we built over the last ten years.”
Edward Jones, partner at Apollo, adds: “Gatehouse Living Group, under Gatehouse Bank’s stewardship, has established itself as a vertically integrated leader in the UK housing sector, supporting the supply of high-quality, professionally managed rental homes.
“We look forward to working closely with management to further enhance and expand its operational capabilities and to supporting the platform’s continued success as the UK focuses on bolstering homebuilding across tenures and attracting more investment to the sector.”
