"If we want government to recognise professionally managed rental housing as part of the answer to this country's housing problem, we have to be clear about the standards residents, investors and communities can expect from us"
- Brendan Geraghty - ARL
The Association for Rental Living (ARL) has launched its first equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) strategy for the build-to-rent sector, using its platform at UKREiiF to set out why EDI should be treated as a professional standard rather than an optional commitment.
The white paper was developed in partnership with Dr Nero Ughwujabo, senior strategy adviser for EDI at The King's Trust, who spoke at the launch, alongside the ARL's EDI Committee. It makes the case for EDI adoption across five connected pillars: financial performance, talent retention, resident satisfaction, investor access, and reputational and policy risk. A 90-day implementation framework is included to help operators put the strategy into practice.
The publication follows the launch of the Build to Rent Alliance Code of Practice, also unveiled at UKREiiF, which embeds EDI principles and benchmarks within its Charter of Commitments and terms of reference. Together, the two documents represent a push by the sector to establish clearer, measurable standards across rental living operations.
The ARL's central argument is that EDI drives tangible business outcomes, improving retention, resident satisfaction and governance, while also supporting access to institutional capital that increasingly requires evidence of social purpose and responsible management.
"If we want government to recognise professionally managed rental housing as part of the answer to this country's housing problem, we have to be clear about the standards residents, investors and communities can expect from us," said Brendan Geraghty, ARL chief executive.
"If we want long-term institutional capital to keep flowing into the sector, we have to show the governance, the management quality and the social purpose that sophisticated investors now require. If we want residents to trust us with their homes, we have to earn that trust through consistent, fair and respectful service. None of that is optional and that is why we have developed the EDI Strategy for Build to Rent designed to support the sector in this critical area."
