Ascend Strengthens BTR Management Team with Appointment of Clair Barry as Head of Mobilisation

• Clair to work closely with investor partners to develop tailored delivery and leasing strategies for pipeline of homes
• Specialist role to drive optimal outcomes from pre-build consultancy to leasing as homes are onboarded onto management portfolio

Ascend – the UK’s largest third-party operator of single-family rental (SFR) homes, overseeing two thirds of the entire asset class – has recruited Clair Barry to the role of Head of Mobilisation.

Clair will be heading up Ascend’s mobilisation team, working closely with investor partners to develop tailored delivery and leasing strategies for new homes and schemes being onboarded. Ascend has a significant pipeline through its existing management mandates, with more than 1,500 new homes due to be onboarded by the end of 2025.

Ascend’s best-in-class mobilisation processes cover all aspects of new additions to its investor clients’ platforms, from pre-build consultancy to snagging, handovers, marketing, leasing and resident services. Drawing on its team’s unrivalled experience in both SFR and multifamily build-to-rent (BTR), Ascend’s strategies ensure efficiency, optimal outcomes and smooth delivery of new schemes.

Clair joins from JLL, where she was an asset manager working on the firm’s BTR portfolio, operating units on behalf of clients including ABRDN and Schroders. Prior to this, she was Mobilisation & Consultancy Lead at UrbanBubble, developing bespoke mobilisation strategies for its BTR holdings, incorporating building design to leasing plans and resident services propositions. Clair brings over 25 years of expertise in residential property lettings, including eight years of specific experience with BTR assets.

Ascend holds mandates for over 9,000 SFR homes nationwide, representing two thirds of the entire UK asset class, with its multifamily and buy-to-let portfolio instructions bringing its total units under management to more than 10,500. Ascend manages platforms for many of the sector’s leading names, with clients including The PRS REIT, Sigma Capital Group, TPG Real Estate Partners, The Carlyle Group, GREYKITE and Gatehouse Investment Management. It recently launched Ascend Living, a new ‘white label’, resident-facing brand providing investors with a turnkey operational identity for BTR portfolios.

Lee Hill, Commercial Director at Ascend, said: 

As the portfolio of homes under our management grows, with a significant pipeline being onboarded consistently over the next 12 months, mobilisation is a vital part of what Ascend has to offer. By putting in place the right strategies as early as possible, better outcomes can be secured for investors and residents alike, driving value across platforms. Clair’s experience in this area is unrivalled, and she will play a vital role in delivering even better performance for our clients and their portfolios.