Giant asset manager Brookfield has entered the UK affordable housing sector by acquiring a for-profit social landlord, Inside Housing Living can reveal.
Brookfield is one of the world’s biggest real estate owners (picture: Alamy)
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Giant asset manager Brookfield has entered the UK affordable housing sector by acquiring a for-profit social landlord #UKhousingBrookfield, one of the largest owners of real estate in the world, has acquired a recently registered for-profit provider and renamed it Ursa Affordable Housing.
It has appointed UK build-to-rent investor Sigma Capital Group as its operating partner. Sigma will provide “the full spectrum of service” to Brookfield, from site origination to lettings, sales and property management.
The strategy is in its early stages, Inside Housing Living understands, with Brookfield providing capital.
The partners see a “significant opportunity” to bring long-term institutional capital and expertise to a sector where the need for quality housing remains “substantial” and supply is constrained.
The deal is Canadian-American property giant Brookfield’s first foray into UK affordable housing. Last year, the company bought a 1,300-home portfolio of houses in multiple occupation across six UK cities for use as student accommodation.
Companies House documents show Brookfield acquired the for-profit provider, originally called WH Housing, in September from Wyatt Homes, a Dorset-based house builder. Wyatt Homes was approached for comment on the deal.
The landlord was incorporated as WH Housing in 2020 and completed its registration with the Regulator of Social Housing as a for-profit provider in May 2026.
After its sale to Brookfield in September, the landlord was renamed Ursa Affordable Housing, and Dominic Williamson and Thomas Gatenby of Brookfield were appointed as directors. Three non-executive board members have also been appointed to Ursa Affordable Housing: Gordon More, Alexandra Notay and Karen McElhatton.
Mr More was formerly interim chief executive and chief investment officer of Homes England. He holds a number of housing board roles, including at Hyde Housing Group and the Housing Growth Partnership, and was previously an independent non-executive director of Sigma Capital Group.
Ms Notay is chief executive of The Housing Forum trade body. She was previously placemaking and investment director at Thriving Investments. She chairs the Radix Big Tent Housing Commission and has advised the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and Homes England on housing strategy.
Ms McElhatton spent six years as a non-executive director of Hyde Group. At Hyde, she chaired the housing services board and subsidiary registered-provider boards, with responsibility spanning regulatory compliance, customer service, operations, acquisitions and transformation. Her executive career includes senior technology roles at organisations including McLaren Group, Natura & Co and TJX Europe.
Sigma Capital has been in the UK build-to-rent sector since 2014. Currently, it has £2.7bn of investment under management and 13,100 build-to-rent homes delivered and contracted, most of which are low-rise, single-family houses.
In April, Inside Housing Living met Sigma Capital’s residential investment director Rob Sumner to discuss the investor’s single-family build-to-rent strategy.
Brookfield has over $1tn of global assets under management. Its UK holdings include holiday company Center Parcs and Canary Wharf Group, which it owns jointly with Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund.
Brookfield enters the UK affordable housing space later than some of its North American private equity rivals. Blackstone has been active in the sector since 2017 through Sage Homes, its for-profit provider, while BlackRock was invested in Heylo until earlier this year, when it appointed administrators to the shared ownership specialist to protect its capital.
