Jonathan Rose Companies, a leading mission-driven real estate investment and development firm, today announced its plans to extend its affordable housing investment and impact expertise into the United Kingdom. As part of its first international market expansion, the firm plans to establish a UK affordable housing investment platform and launch a dedicated Rose UK Social and Affordable Housing Fund.
The announcement was made during the UK Office of Investment Housing and Regeneration event, a government-led housing and investment event in New York City, focused on attracting capital and partnerships to the UK to support housing delivery. The event featured UK government officials, including His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for North America and His Majesty’s Consul General to New York, Alex Milward, who emphasized the need for additional affordable housing investment across the UK. Alan Gogbashian, Deputy Trade Commissioner for North America at the UK’s Department for Business and Trade, also commented on the announcement:
“Jonathan Rose Companies’ decision to launch its first international platform and dedicated housing fund in the UK is a strong vote of confidence in our market. The UK Government has set an ambition of 1.5 million new homes this Parliament, and this is exactly the kind of experienced, mission-driven US investment partnership we need to help deliver affordable housing at scale.”
The expansion comes as the UK faces a significant shortage of affordable and social housing. Many nonprofit Registered Providers (RPs), which have historically acquired, developed, and managed this type of housing, face growing headwinds driven by aging housing stock, building safety and regulatory requirements, decarbonization mandates, and limited balance sheet capacity.
The UK policy environment to support new-build housing growth is positive, with the current government targeting 300,000 new affordable and market homes each year over its five-year term. However, various sources1 have indicated an increasingly important role for institutional capital in increasing housing supply.
The scale of the UK’s housing challenge calls for at-scale solutions that bring together private capital, public-sector expertise and subsidy. Jonathan Rose Companies’ model can contribute to that effort, helping to support the delivery and long-term affordability of much-needed homes.
The firm’s initial strategy will focus on funding the development of new affordable housing delivered through Section 106 agreements in Bristol, London and Manchester, and Section 75 agreements in Edinburgh and Glasgow. These projects are typically part of mixed-income communities and are designed to be fossil fuel-free in line with the UK Future Homes Standard.
Also central to the Rose Communities model in the US is a commitment to social impact, connecting residents to services and programs that can improve opportunity, health and wellbeing and long-term life outcomes. Jonathan Rose Companies plans to bring that resident-focused approach to the affordable housing communities it proposes to build and fund in the UK.
“The affordable housing challenges facing the UK are shaped by some of the same underlying forces we see in the US and many parts of the western world: rising costs, insufficient supply, aging stock, and the need for long-term capital partners,” said Jonathan F.P. Rose, Founder and CEO of Jonathan Rose Companies. “Over 35 years of work across the US, we have learned that durable housing solutions require more than capital. They require genuine public-private partnerships, deep local knowledge, and a systems-level mindset that treats housing as a platform for improving community health, stability, and realizing opportunity. We look forward to bringing that approach to the UK, and to learning from partners who have been doing this work for a long time.”
The planned Rose UK Social and Affordable Housing Fund will focus on acquiring existing and funding newly built or to-be-built social and affordable housing assets across key UK markets. This will include homes delivered through the country’s established planning and housing frameworks and in partnership with RPs and other local housing organizations.
To support the initiative, Jonathan Rose Companies has engaged Ben Denton, one of the UK’s leading affordable housing investment professionals, to establish the firm’s local presence, support fund formation and build a pipeline of investment opportunities aligned with the firm’s long-term affordable housing strategy. Denton brings over two decades of experience across the UK’s housing and residential sectors. He previously established and scaled Legal & General’s affordable housing platform, helping grow the business into a nationally recognized platform with more than 8,000 homes. He will be working alongside Jonathan Rose Companies’ Dawn Mottram, who spent a majority of her career delivering social and affordable housing with two of the large RPs in the UK: London & Quadrant Housing Trust and Southern Housing Group.
“I’ve spent much of my career working to bring capital into affordable housing in the UK while staying true to the sector’s long-term mission,” said Denton. “While the UK’s housing framework already has some foundational and well-intentioned elements in place, there is a need for more capital and new partnerships to help unlock housing delivery at the scale our communities require. The team at Jonathan Rose Companies brings decades of experience as a mission-aligned investor, owner and developer of affordable housing, and I’m excited to see what we can accomplish in the UK market.”
Jonathan Rose Companies is working alongside a growing network of UK-based advisors and industry specialists and expects to grow its dedicated local investment and asset management presence over time. The firm is currently engaging with developers, RPs, government stakeholders and institutional investors as it advances its UK affordable housing strategy.
Jonathan Rose Companies’ UK growth builds on the firm’s 35-year track record as a leader in affordable housing investment, development and ownership. The firm has acquired and developed more than $5 billion of affordable housing, pioneered impact real estate investing and built a current portfolio of nearly 20,000 apartment homes across 14 states and Washington, D.C. Most recently, Jonathan Rose Companies closed the $660 million Rose Affordable Housing Preservation Fund VI, dedicated to preserving, improving and greening affordable housing communities across the US. By combining affordable housing expertise with sustainability, resident services and long-term stewardship, Jonathan Rose Companies has worked to create healthier, more resilient communities while preserving housing affordability.
For more information on Jonathan Rose Companies, please visit RoseCompanies.com.
About Jonathan Rose Companies
Jonathan Rose Companies is one of the country’s leading owners of green, affordable and mixed-income communities. Founded in 1989 with a mission to create a more environmentally thriving, socially just world through the development, preservation, renovation, and ownership of green, affordable and mixed-income communities, Rose has created projects with about $5 billion of value as of end of year 2024, with a current portfolio of nearly 20,000 apartment homes in 14 states and Washington, D.C. The Firm is a fully integrated investment management, development, and asset management company with construction management, solar energy, mortgage finance, and title company affiliates, and has offices in New York, Ohio, and Colorado. For more information, please visit www.rosecompanies.com.
|
____________________________ 1Homes England Strategic Plan 2025 – 2030: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/homes-england-strategic-plan-2025-to-2030/homes-england-strategic-plan-2025-to-2030-html; Savills UK – Spotlight on Equity Investment in Affordable Housing: https://www.savills.co.uk/research_articles/229130/376970-0 |
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261028033619/en/
Media gallery
