Rental living is evolving fast. From urban regeneration to lifestyle-led developments, build to rent and purpose-built student accommodation are reshaping how people live, work and connect. Investors, developers and operators are responding to rising demand and shifting tenant expectations, all while delivering scalable, resilient assets.

Shoosmiths helps clients lead this change. We advise across the lifecycle of residential rental projects — from site acquisition and funding to construction, leasing, operation and exit.

Our team combines deep real estate expertise with sector fluency, supporting institutional investors, developers, operators and universities. We’ve advised on landmark schemes across the UK, including mixed-use regeneration, student portfolios and multi-family developments, while also helping clients maximise the growth of single family and co-living. Our lawyers and sector specialists are recognised for being pragmatic, responsive and commercially sharp. We don’t just understand the rental landscape - we help shape it.

Recent experience

• advised on the sale of Gatehouse Living and Sigma Capital’s single-family rental portfolio, comprising 821 dwellings, to Citra Living, which has since been rebranded as Lloyds Living

• advised a joint venture between Invesco Real Estate and PLATFORM_ on the successful sale of a BTR portfolio, comprising 608 apartments across five assets in Exeter, Stevenage, Bedford, Bracknell and Crawley

• advised Packaged Living on the acquisition of a strategic site in Woolwich, London, set to deliver a £40 million co-living scheme – the first transaction under its newly launched co-living strategy

• advised Kennedy Wilson on the acquisition and development of land for single-family housing as part of its growing UK BTR platform and joint venture with the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.

• supported BlueCastle Capital on its acquisition of the former Marks & Spencer flagship store in Birmingham, paving the way for a new major BTR scheme

• supported Watkin Jones in securing its plans for The Àrd – a 784-bed purpose-built student accommodation led mixed-use development in Glasgow

• advised a joint venture between Housing Growth Partnership and Watkin Jones to develop a £120m 397-bed PBSA scheme in Stratford, East London

• acted for AIB Group (UK) on an investment facility for the acquisition of a 999-bed student accommodation scheme in Liverpool

• advised Chris Stewart Group on the sale of Martha Street Apartments, a 20-storey PBSA tower in Glasgow city centre, in a deal worth £58.5m