PPR Capital Management just began investing in the build-to-rent housing sector last year, and now it is looking to pounce on a market it sees as benefiting from the new federal housing law. 

The Wayne, Pennsylvania-based firm this week is launching the PPR Keystone Housing Growth Fund, its first-ever fund focused on build-to-rent housing. PPR executives tell Bisnow it has a fundraising target of $100M. 

Courtesy of PPR Capital Management

A build-to-rent property PPR acquired in the Nashville metro area

The fund is designed to buy build-to-rent communities from the developers that constructed them. This type of sale was ultimately allowed by the 21st Century Road to Housing Act after months of debate over a proposal that would have required these types of homes be sold to individual buyers. 

The lengthy period of uncertainty froze the BTR market and caused financial distress that PPR is looking to capitalize on.

“There’s a lot of product available across the markets we’re targeting that has been built to rent but that the builder, their original take-out isn’t there anymore,” PPR Chief Asset Officer Craig Johnsen said. “So we are targeting build-to-rent properties, but also taking the development risk out of there and buying from distressed sellers.”

He named 10 regions the firm is targeting: Dallas, Salt Lake City, Nashville, Charlotte, Philadelphia, Chicago, Raleigh, Denver, West Palm Beach and Richmond. 

The fund is raising money from accredited individual investors, and its minimum check size is $50K. It is looking to buy properties with between 150 and 250 units, and with its $100M fundraising target, Johnsen said he anticipates that would yield six to eight deals. 

Founded in 2007, PPR is a private equity firm with $1.5B in assets under management. It has historically focused on acquiring nonperforming loans and residential mortgages. The firm began buying some multifamily in 2022 before entering the BTR sector last year. 

Johnsen said there were distressed BTR situations popping up early last year even before Congress disrupted the market. An overbuilding of units in some markets made it impossible for some developers to achieve the rents they needed to hit their return projections. 

An estimated 68,000 build-to-rent housing units began construction in the U.S. last year, according to the National Association of Home Builders, below the 2024 peak of 84,000 units but above most other years this century. 

BTR housing starts soared after the pandemic and became a larger share of the single-family housing market.

Some developers that have been unable to hit their rent projections have decided to cut their losses and sell, Johnsen said. 

This was the case for the first BTR deal PPR closed in March 2025: the $87M purchase of the Highline at Knoxville in Tennessee.  

“That happened to be one where the first phase of construction was totally complete and the second phase was underway, and they were looking to get out of the deal — they could see how the economics were going,” Johnsen said. 

While these conditions existed early last year, the lengthy Road to Housing debate made it much more difficult for BTR developers to sell their assets, as prospective buyers didn’t know how the rules for the market would be rewritten. 

Now that the bill became law Saturday at midnight — without President Donald Trump’s signature — the market appears ripe for a rebound. Hunter Housing Economics President Brad Hunter told Bisnow this week that BTR “could absolutely be one of the biggest winners” of the legislation.

Johnsen described the BTR market as being “over the hurdle.”

“We’re not anticipating any additional headwinds from a regulatory standpoint for build-to-rent going forward,” he said. “So that makes it a great time, especially given one reason a building might be under distress or needs capital to take them out was because of this three- to six-month period where there was a pause.”

Much of the debate over the bill had centered on lawmakers’ concerns about large companies buying up single-family houses and pricing individuals out of the market. The law ultimately kept some restrictions for institutional investors buying single-family homes, but it included a carve-out for build-to-rent properties. 

Developers that built single-family home projects intentionally for renters did so with the plan of ultimately selling to another landlord, rather than individuals, so Johnsen said the economics wouldn’t work for them to sell homes one by one.

And he said these properties don’t present an attractive investment for homebuyers compared to renting, given the elevated interest rates and homeownership costs like association fees and maintenance. 

“The levered return on buying a townhome for a homeowner is not actually good anymore,” he said. “When I look at it in terms of PPR wanting to supply housing to people, it’s more cost-effective for a company like ourselves to experience economies of scale.”

While PPR isn’t building new housing with this fund, Johnsen said allowing developers to exit their prior projects frees them up to build more.

More build-to-rent housing is needed across the country because Americans are increasingly renting for longer periods of their lives, but some still want the comfort of a single-family home with a yard. 

This creates strong demand for BTR housing, and Johnsen said he doesn’t see that changing anytime soon. He said that is part of why PPR decided to focus on BTR with its new fund.

“Going forward, rents in build-to-rent properties — or properties that mimic single-family housing, whether it’s a townhome or detached single-family — are going to significantly outperform rents at your more traditional garden-style, podium-style multifamily property,” he said. 

“But right now, especially given some of the supply surges that have happened in these Sun Belt markets, that’s not really reflected in their valuations,” he added. “So we think there’s a great opportunity for our investors to get in with relatively low downside.”

Charlotte investors are bracing for potential changes to the build-to-rent space.

Charlotte has emerged as one of the strongest BTR markets in recent years, driven in part by population growth and rising housing costs. But some investors are pausing sales as a federal housing bill moves through Congress. The latest version of the bill retains protections for the BTR industry, but its fate remains uncertain.

“We’re not out of the woods yet,” said Jason Esposito, CEO of South Carolina-based homebuilder Center Park Group, which specializes in BTR. “It’s got to go back to the Senate and pass.”

Esposito was speaking at Bisnow’s Multifamily Annual Conference on May 19 at The Union at Station West in Charlotte. Eric Speckman, co-founding principal of investment and development firm Beauxwright, noted a “lack of transaction volume” in the Charlotte BTR market as companies await the bill’s final passage.

“We’re seeing this in real time, particularly on build-to-rent,” Speckman said. “So it’ll be nice, once the legislation gets worked out, to remove some of this uncertainty that investors have.”

In March, major investors mostly stopped buying and financing BTR sites due to the uncertainty of the the 21st Century Road to Housing Act. “Now, it’s kind of a wait-and-see game,” Esposito said. “We have a lot of projects that are at the starting gate that are ready to go.”

On May 20, the House of Representatives passed an amended version of the housing bill that eliminated a controversial BTR provision. That provision, found in a previous Senate version, would have required BTR operators to sell properties after seven years of ownership. The latest bill heads back to the Senate, where a fresh showdown is expected.

Esposito said the provision, if restored, would “completely eliminate additional supply.”

Last year, demand for BTR residences was on the rise in the Queen City, according to the Charlotte Business Journal. As of mid-2025, the Charlotte metro area had more than 4,100 BTR single-family homes under construction, according to a 2025 report by interior building supplier Best Supply, and was ranked second in the space behind Phoenix. 

But the report noted that some national investors had been “slowing new acquisitions after years of aggressive expansion.”

Alex Barroso, executive vice president of Portman Residential, said at the event that BTR is currently facing a lack of tenant demand. 

“Charlotte’s seen a ton of build-to-rent, but some of those have been difficult to lease up,” Barroso said. “They’re a lot slower, which perhaps a lot of developers didn’t assume when they underwrote them.”

Though the space remains “viable,” he says “money is slowly moving away from it.”

But factors like high housing and land costs continued to draw developers to BTR opportunities in Charlotte last year to meet local demand. Among some of the notable deals was Progress Residential’s $27.3M purchase of BTR community Harmon Five Points in October. Barroso said that just a few years ago, BTR was “all everybody and anybody was looking to invest in” in Charlotte.

David Lee, director of land acquisition at JPI, added that “the reason we saw a lot of those deals” is because they are “easier to capitalize.”

Charlotte is still listed among the major markets where “employment diversity, household growth, and suburban expansion continue to support build-to-rent demand” in 2026, according to a recent report by Catalyst Capital Partners.

But the forecast is dependent on what happens with the housing bill. Esposito said investors will continue to pause operations until they see “closure and certainty on the bill.”

MBK Senior Living announced that construction has officially begun on a comprehensive renovation of The Bellettini, a senior living community in the heart of downtown Bellevue, Washington. The transformation is expected to be completed in Summer 2026.

The transformation will enhance key shared spaces throughout the community, including the lobby, concierge and valet areas, and signature dining venues. “This renovation reflects a deep respect for what The Bellettini has always been, while thoughtfully enhancing how it feels to live here each day,” said Brian Prouty, Executive Director of The Bellettini.

“We’re creating an environment that feels both elevated and comfortable—where residents can continue to enjoy the connections, experiences, and sense of ease they value, now within beautifully refreshed surroundings.”

The Bellettini features 144 independent and assisted living apartments. MBK Senior Living is a provider of independent living, assisted living, and memory care communities across the Western United States.

Harrison Street Asset Management (HSAM) has closed the $910-million sale of a 12-property U.S. student housing portfolio to affiliates of The Scion Group and an Ares Real Estate fund. It’s the largest student housing portfolio sale completed in 2026, according to HSAM.

Assembled over a 10-year period by five HSAM funds, the 7,578-bed portfolio serves leading university markets across the U.S., including those home to the University of Florida, Auburn University, the University of Notre Dame, The Ohio State University and James Madison University. Scion will serve as operating partner.

“This transaction represents important milestones for Scion,” said Robert Bronstein, Scion CEO. “We are beginning a partnership with Ares, one of the leading asset management firms globally, at the same time Scion’s owned portfolio now totals over 105,000 beds, making Scion the world’s largest owner of student housing. This sector continues to demonstrate resilient demand characteristics, and we are pleased to expand our platform alongside Ares.”

Although the deal represents a first-time partnership between Scion and Ares, buyer and seller have collaborated before. HSAM and Scion have completed multiple large-scale transactions together since 2017, including a nearly $900-million student housing portfolio sale in November 2024.

PGIM, the $1.4-trillion global investment management business of Prudential Financial, Inc., said Wednesday that the PGIM Real Estate Fund, Inc. has completed its 10th property acquisition with the purchase of The Arbor, a 127-unit housing community at 3260 Henry Hudson Pkwy. in the Riverdale neighborhood in the Bronx, at a gross capitalization of $73.5 million

The fund acquired the asset in a joint venture with Fetner Properties through a sale-leaseback with the seller, Columbia University, which uses it to house students, faculty and staff. Beginning in July 2026, apartments are expected to be re-leased in two phases and undergo a value-add capital improvement program.

“Reaching 10 property acquisitions, $260 million in capital deployed and over $632 million in gross property value are important proof points for this fund and for our broader commitment to opening institutional-quality private real estate to a wider pool of investors,” said Darin Bright, senior portfolio manager for the PGIM Real Estate Fund.

A team comprising LV Collective and Kayne Anderson Real Estate has closed on a refinancing of a student housing venture near the Georgia Tech Campus. The project, called Rambler Atlanta, is a 798-bed student housing community in midtown Atlanta.

Canyon Partners Real Estate provided the senior loan in a deal arranged by TSB Capital Advisors.

Commercial Edge reports that previous financing for the 215-unit property includes a $95.3 million construction loan from Pacific Life Insurance Co.

Completed in 2025, the 19-story property is at 736 Peachtree St. NE, close to the university and Technology Square. The unit mix comprises studio, one-, two-, four-, five- and six-bedroom floorplans ranging from 388 to 1,909 square feet, along with almost 3,000 square feet of retail space. 

All apartments have private balconies or patios. Common-area amenities include a café, swimming pool, hot tub, fitness center, yoga room and sauna. The property also has resident lounges, coworking and study spaces.

Johnson & Wales University plans to fully renovate a major residence hall on its Charlotte, N.C. campus to accommodate a mixed-use of housing and student services. The 97,000 square-foot building, currently called “The Maple” and previously managed as the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel, will be completely overhauled with new mechanical and building systems and infrastructure, 150 rooms for upper-class students (with a potential occupancy of 276), an admissions welcome center, and a central location for student services.

The project is expected to take approximately two years to complete, and the expected investment by the university will be around $42 million, funded through a combination of investment reserves and philanthropy from individuals, corporations and foundations. The university will work with 3Ten Construction, a commercial contractor based in Charlotte, N.C., and Little Diversified Architectural Consulting, also based in Charlotte, N.C. Both firms have completed early-phase work on the project.

The Doubletree purchase aligns with its curriculum. The Charlotte campus offers a 90-credit, three-year Hospitality Management degree program under the University’s current accreditation, making it the first in the Southeast to offer such a degree.

Greystar has finalized a public-private partnership with The University of Texas at Austin to develop, design, build, and operate the Law School Village, a new apartment community that is the university’s first dedicated housing for law students. The Law School Village is fully financed by the University, with Greystar as the third-party developer, general contractor, and facility manager.

Located directly across the street from the UT Austin School of Law, Law School Village will offer 340 apartment beds in 280 studio, 1-bedroom, and 2-bedroom units. The project is expected to be completed in time for the 2028-29 academic year.

The 14-story community will feature amenities including a large library-style sky lounge, a cafe, a fitness and yoga area, an expansive courtyard, future coffee shop retail, and two roof decks. It is designed by Lemmo Architecture and Design, with Meeks + Partners serving as the architect of record. 

Law School Village is the eighth on-campus partnership closed by Greystar in the last 12 months. 

L3 Campus and Aureon Partners have obtained a $53.7 million refinancing for the OnShore apartments, a 210-unit/636-bed student housing project near the campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach.

A Walker & Dunlop Capital Markets Real Estate Finance led by Will Baker, Mike Shropshire, William Shell, and Doug McDaniel coordinated the 7-year, floating-rate loan with a four-year interest-only period provided by Freddie Mac. Austin Kinn at TSB Capital Advisors consulted on the transaction on behalf of the borrower.

OnShore is a Class A student housing community featuring two-and four-bedroom layouts. Amenities include an infinity pool, fitness center, study areas, a flight simulator, and an on-site shuttle to the nearby Embry-Riddle campus.

The property at 1100 Halifax Medical Center Dr. has maintained 98%+ occupancy since delivery in 2020.

The Sonesta Extended Stay Hotel in southwest Charlotte was sold to a New York-based nonprofit on Feb. 12 and is reportedly earmarked to become housing for veterans.

Marcus & Millichap announced it had brokered the sale, representing the private seller. The announcement declined to name the buyer, but Mecklenburg County records lists the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation as the owner.

The 75K SF property sits on 3.39 acres at 7925 Forest Pine Drive off Interstate 77.

WSOC-TV reported last October that the Staten Island-based Tunnel to Towers Foundation was looking to purchase and renovate the hotel site into 117 apartment units for veterans.

The foundation states it offers several programs to assist military veterans and former first responders, including constructing smart homes for those who have been injured, providing mortgage-free homes to families with young children who have lost a parent in the line of duty, and working to end homelessness among the veteran community.

The foundation pulled in revenue of $559M in 2024 with expenses at $381M, according to the organization’s 2024 IRS 990 form, published by ProPublica. Its total assets were $653M at the end of that year.

In mid-2024, the foundation was tied to a post-bankruptcy filing of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Giuliani’s lawyers disclosed that he was receiving just over $16K a month in income from his internet show and that the money was coming “mainly” from the nonprofit, according to a New York Times report.

Creditors sought subpoenas to further understand the nature of the financial agreement between the politician and the charity, Law & Crime reported.

The foundation did not respond to multiple requests for comment for this story.