The former chief executive of build-to-rent operator Get Living, Neil Young, has launched student accommodation business We Are Kin.
The business will own and operate student accommodation in a portfolio of houses and cluster flats, backed by investment from parent company Young Group.
We Are Kin has appointed chief executives Thomas Elliot and Richard Crawshay Jones. It has acquired its first scheme, a 74-home portfolio in Lincoln for £3m and has bids on other sites that could see a further £10m committed.
Initial finance has been provided through existing private investors that Young works with and in time it will seek an investment partner.
Young partners David Mackenzie and Sylvana Young have also joined as chief financial officer and director, respectively. Sylvana Young was previously chief design officer at Get Living
Neil Young worked at Get Living for six years as chief executive, also supporting the business in a prior consultancy role. He grew the portfolio to more than 8,000 homes in London, Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow.
He left last September to grow his consultancy business Young, formerly Young Group, as investment director. The platform provides seed capital for residential living startups.
He said: “We believe that students deserve a better deal from landlords to enable them to get on with the business of being a student. Our mission is to provide proper homes for proper students.
“We tend to look longer term. We see the student market as a good market. We are very ambitious and we’d like significant growth.”
Young is also in talks on a number of future initiatives including co-living, affordable city centre key workers housing and senior living.
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