Ascend Recruits Lee Hill as Commercial Director

> Arrival follows the appointment of Paul Borrmann as Managing Director in late 2023

> Executive team and senior leadership to drive growth in single-family and multifamily BTR

Ascend Properties, the UK’s largest lettings and property manager of institutional single-family build-to-rent homes, has recruited Lee Hill as Commercial Director.

Lee’s arrival follows the appointment of Paul Borrmann as Managing Director in Autumn 2023, and completes an executive team that includes Finance Director Fiona Ashworth and Operations Director Adam Stephenson.

Formerly at JLL, Lee has significant experience across the entire residential sector. Most recently, he was Head of BTR at the firm, advising major institutional investors on development, letting and management, with responsibility for a national portfolio of 2,500 units across 13 sites.

The executive team, supported by the firm’s senior leadership, will be focused on the strategic expansion of Ascend’s BTR operator capabilities, capitalising on its position as the market’s leading provider of single-family lettings and management services and expanding its multifamily operations. Ascend holds mandates for over 7,000 single-family BTR homes nationwide, around two thirds of the entire UK asset class, with its multifamily and buy-to-let instructions bringing its total units under management to more than 10,000.

Ascend oversees platforms for many of the sector’s leading investors, with clients including PRS REIT plc, TPG Real Estate Partners, Sigma Capital Group, Gatehouse Investment Management and the Kuwait Investment Authority. Investment in proprietary technology and management processes has established Ascend as the foremost operator in single-family BTR, with the firm looking to apply these tools to multifamily assets to expand its reach into the sector.

Paul Borrmann, Managing Director of Ascend Properties, said: 

The level of investment in all areas of BTR is driving increasing demand for genuinely expert lettings and management services, something that our technology and capabilities put us in an excellent position to capitalise on. Lee is a fantastic addition to the strong and well-established Ascend team and his significant experience – not just of BTR but of the wider residential sector too – will be a big asset as we look to cement and grow our position as the leading provider of operational services to both single-family and multifamily platforms.

Lee Hill, Commercial Director of Ascend Properties, added: 

Ascend’s position as the manager of choice for SFR homes – with the potential for growth in the multifamily sector – makes this an exciting time to be joining the firm. I look forward to helping the team develop new opportunities and capabilities to achieve even greater success in what is one of the UK’s most dynamic property sectors.