Savills Investment Management (Savills IM) raised £123m for the first close of the Savills IM Simply Affordable Homes Limited Partnership from founding investors Samsung Life Insurance, London CIV, Big Society Capital, Schroder BSC Social Impact Trust and Savills.
The fund will invest in and manage a diversified portfolio of affordable housing, comprising both affordable and social-rent homes as well as shared-ownership homes.
Savills IM said the open-ended core product was designed for institutional investors seeking a low risk, inflation-linked income stream whilst also delivering social impact.
The fund’s for-profit registered provider Simply Affordable Homes RP will enable it to purchase existing income-producing stock through establishing strategic partnerships with housing associations and other registered providers. The fund will also facilitate the delivery of new homes through strategic partnerships with developers and housebuilders.
Alex Jeffrey, chief executive of Savills IM, said: “The UK faces serious housing challenges, especially with regard to affordability, and this fund aims to help address this. Investing in UK affordable housing provides opportunities for institutional capital to meet commitments to socially responsible investing and make a significant and positive impact, whilst achieving attractive returns.”
Dominic Curtis, fund manager and chief executive of Simply Affordable Homes RP, added: “Our high-quality RP and investment strategy has attracted some of the industry’s leading figures as directors, including Keith Exford CBE, Ann Santry CBE and Jack Stephen. Our sourcing platform has multiple links to the existing sector and through our strategic partnerships with housing associations and other private developers, we hope to deliver much needed capital into the sector.”
Christopher Osborne, head of real estate at London CIV, said: “Following extensive due diligence and negotiations on behalf of our partners funds, we are excited for LCIV UK Housing Fund to partner with Savills IM and be an anchor investor in Simply Affordable Homes. Private capital has a vital role to play in the affordable housing sector, and we are confident that Savills IM will deliver robust long term returns for our partner funds, and through its impact led approach support the provision of much needed affordable homes in the UK, through investing in existing, and increasing the supply of high-quality affordable homes.”
