LONDON: The PRS REIT announced the acquisition of a fully-let development of 123 new homes in Greater Manchester for £19m from BlackRock Real Assets.
The transaction marks the full commitment of the PRS REIT’s funding resource of £900m (gross), and accelerates income delivery for the Company. This is in line with the stated intention of the Company’s Investment Adviser, Sigma PRS Management Limited, to acquire completed assets with the balance of the Company’s available resources.
It brings the total number of completed homes in the Company’s portfolio to 3,163, providing an estimated rental value (“ERV”) of approximately £29.4m per annum. Around an additional 2,000 homes are currently under way at varying stages of development. This delivery will take the Company’s portfolio to approximately 5,200 homes, with an ERV of approximately £50.0m per annum when fully completed and let.
The development is located in a suburb north west of Manchester in Holyoake Road, Walkden, and was sourced and completed for Blackrock in June 2019 by Sigma Capital Group plc’s PRS property platform. It comprises a mix of 63 three-and-four-bedroom houses and 60 two-bedroom apartments, close to excellent local amenities, with easy access via rail to Manchester City Centre.
The development was constructed by Sigma Capital Group plc’s principal housebuilding partner, Countryside Properties to the same specification as other sites in the PRS REIT’s portfolio. The homes are rented under the ‘Simple Life’ brand.
Steve Smith, Chairman of The PRS REIT plc, said, “The acquisition of this new development of purpose-built, high-quality rental homes brings The PRS REIT plc’s portfolio of completed assets to over 3,100 homes and accelerates income delivery.
“The Company is now in the final stages of delivering its initial portfolio of approximately 5,200 rental homes, with around 2,000 homes currently in varying stages of development. They are expected to be completed in late 2021.”
The PRS REIT plc is a closed-ended real estate investment trust established to invest in the Private Rented Sector and to provide shareholders with an attractive level of income together with the potential for capital and income growth. The Company is investing £0.9bn in a portfolio of high quality homes for private rental across the regions, having raised a total of £500m (gross) through its Initial Public Offering, on 31 May 2017, and a subsequent placing in February 2018. Both fundraisings were supported by the UK Government’s Homes England with direct investments. www.theprsreit.com
Sigma Capital Group plc is a PRS, residential development, and urban regeneration specialist, with offices in Edinburgh, Manchester and London. Sigma’s principal focus is on the delivery of large scale housing schemes for the private rented sector. The Company has a well-established track record in assisting with property related regeneration projects in the public sector, acting as a bridge between the public and private sectors.
Sigma has created an unrivalled PRS Platform, which sources sites and brings together construction resource to develop them, enabling Sigma to deliver an integrated solution to partners. As well as sourcing sites and managing all stages of the planning and development process, Sigma also manages the rental of completed homes through its award winning rental brand ‘Simple Life’. The Company’s subsidiary, Sigma PRS Management Limited, is Investment Adviser to The PRS REIT plc.
Sigma PRS Management Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary of AIM-quoted Sigma Capital Group plc and is Investment Adviser to The PRS REIT plc. It sources investments and operationally manages the assets of The PRS REIT plc and advises the Alternative Investment Fund Manager (“AIFM”) and The PRS REIT plc on a day-to-day basis in accordance with The PRS REIT plc’s Investment Policy.
The Investment Manager is G10 Capital Limited. Sigma PRS Management Ltd is an appointed representative of G10 Capital Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
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