Ascend to manage Springstead Village

The new homes are to be operated under the white-label Ascend Living brand.

Third-party operator of single-family rental (SFR) homes Ascend has secured a new mandate from Aberdeen Investments to manage Springstead Village in east Cambridge. The instruction covers 139 new SFR homes and apartments which will be operated by Ascend under the firm’s resident-facing Ascend Living brand. The first homes were handed over in August, with the remaining scheduled to be delivered in the coming months.

Springstead Village reflects our commitment to providing high-quality rental homes and creating long-term value. Appointing the right operating partner is integral to that approach.

We look forward to working with Ascend to create a welcoming place to live, with a strong focus on service and the resident experience as the homes are handed over and occupied.

Haseeb Hassan, Lead Senior Asset Manager – Living, Aberdeen Investments

Aberdeen, on behalf their client, acquired the homes from housebuilder Bellway in February. The agreement is Ascend’s first instruction to operate residential properties on behalf of Aberdeen-managed investments. Ascend holds management mandates with institutional investors and oversees around two thirds of the entire UK operational SFR asset class, alongside wider living sector instructions.

Aberdeen is building an impressive SFR platform, and we are hugely excited to be working with them in Cambridge.

Its choice of Ascend reflects not only our track record as the largest third-party operator in the sector, but also our market-leading technological and operational capabilities, and we look forward to both the success of Springstead Village and further collaboration in the future.

Lee Hill, Commercial Director, Ascend

Recent growth follows a period of significant investment by Ascend in both technology and senior talent, driving further enhancements to its industry-leading technology stack and operational capabilities. Launched in January 2025, Ascend Living is a white-label, resident-facing brand providing an operational identity for unbranded platforms managed by Ascend.