The UK living sector saw £2.5bn of investment during Q1 2026, according to preliminary data from global real estate advisor CBRE.
This followed investment of £2.95bn in Q4 2025 and was 74% higher than recorded for Q1 last year, signaling continued investor commitment to the sector despite a challenging geopolitical backdrop.
Purpose-Built Student Accommodation accounted for most of the investment this quarter, at £1.7bn. The largest transaction was the acquisition of Empiric Student Property by Unite Group, completed in January 2026.
However, investment in individual assets also rose, with £571m in sales being 12% up compared to the previous quarter and 40% up compared to Q1 2025.
Build to Rent (BTR) investment volumes were lower this quarter following a strong end to 2025. Over £800m of assets were sold during Q1 2026.
The largest transaction was the acquisition of Ebb and Flow, a stabilised income producing multifamily BTR asset in Reading, by the Pension Insurance Corporation. This marked the largest single-asset BTR purchase in the last two years, having been concluded at a price of over £200m.
Andrew Saunderson, Head of UK Living Capital Markets, said: “Investor appetite for the UK living sector remains strong. This reflects how sustained demand from renters for professionally managed, high-quality accommodation is underpinning investment returns across all living subsectors.
“It is therefore not surprising that the living sector ranks first for most preferred target in our annual investor intentions survey.”
