Greystar acquires Native Communities as it scales third-party property management across Europe

London, 16 March 2026 - Greystar, a global leader in the investment, development and management of high-quality rental housing, today announces the acquisition of Native Communities ("Native"), a leading UK third-party living and mixed-use operator, from Ares Real Estate funds ("Ares"), founder Guy Nixon and management shareholders, accelerating the expansion of its third-party property management business across Europe.

The acquisition strengthens Greystar's third-party property management capability at a time when investors and asset owners increasingly seek operating partners with the scale, governance and consistency to support portfolios across markets and living sectors. The combined business brings together a dedicated, pan-European third-party property management business designed to support clients from single assets to complex, multi-country portfolios.

The announcement follows last week's news that Greystar welcomed Dublin-based MD Property & Living, establishing a dedicated third-party property management business in Ireland. Together with the acquisition of Native, this marks a significant acceleration in Greystar's strategy to scale its third-party property management business across key European markets.

In Europe, Greystar has established a platform of nearly 70,000 apartments and beds across eight markets. This includes more than 7,000 homes already managed on behalf of third-party investors and asset owners, with a clear ambition to materially expand this business in the coming years. The acquisition of Native accelerates that strategy, adding immediate scale in the UK through an established, dedicated third-party property management business and building on a model successfully scaled in the United States to more than one million homes.

Native operates a national portfolio of 37 residential and mixed-use assets, representing more than 9,000 homes across England, Scotland and Wales. The business is supported by 177 on-site team members and a 47-person corporate team. Following completion, Native's operations will be merged with Greystar's third-party property management business, with teams based in Manchester and London, complementing Greystar's existing UK operating business, which manages around 44,000 PBSA beds and BTR homes.

For investors and asset owners, the combination brings together deep local operating expertise with the scale, systems and insight of a global organisation, offering access to enhanced governance, procurement capability and operational benchmarking. The third-party property management business and Greystar's owned investment portfolio will operate as separate business lines, ensuring integrity of interests and a clear focus on long-term performance.

Mark Allnutt, Executive Director - Europe, Greystar, said: "The acquisition of Native Communities marks an important step in expanding our third-party property management business across Europe. It strengthens our operating depth and enhances our ability to support clients as their portfolios grow across markets and sectors.

"We are pleased to welcome Native's talented team members to Greystar. Their experience and client relationships will be central to our continued growth. As investment in Europe's living sectors increases, clients require operating partners that combine local execution with real scale. We are well positioned to deliver that with consistency and strong governance."

Bobby Faith, Managing Director - Third-Party Property Management, Europe, Greystar, added: "Native has built a highly regarded third-party property management business with strong client relationships and a talented team, and we are excited to bring our organisations together. This transaction accelerates a strategy already underway at Greystar, allowing us to scale third-party property management in a deliberate and disciplined way.

"Together, we are combining deep operating expertise with the systems and resources of a global organisation to deliver bespoke solutions and consistent outcomes for clients, whether managing a single asset or a multi-market portfolio."

Guy Nixon, CEO, Native Communities, said: "Native's success over the past 20 years has been built on a strong focus on execution, service quality and long-term client relationships. Joining Greystar combines those strengths with a global rental housing platform with the scale, experience and infrastructure to strengthen the support we offer to our clients across the UK and Europe.

"For our clients, this means continuity of service alongside access to deeper expertise, broader insight and a platform designed to grow with them over time. For our teams, it is an opportunity to be part of a business that shares our values and ambition as we enter the next phase of growth together. We also thank Ares for consistently supporting us with our growth initiatives and critical operational enhancements during our partnership."

John Ruane, Partner and Co-Head of European Real Estate at Ares, said: "For the last ten years, we have supported Guy and his team with the expansion of Native's portfolio from 5 assets to 37 today, representing the addition of 9,000 high-quality homes. We are proud to have been a part of Native's growth journey, providing our insights and resources to help the business fulfil its potential, and wish the team well in this exciting new chapter."

Founded in 1993, Greystar today manages approximately 1.1 million homes and beds globally, with the majority operated on behalf of investors and asset owners. Its third-party property management business has been scaled successfully through multiple market cycles in the United States and is now being deliberately expanded across Europe.