Invesco Real Estate has become the first real estate investment manager to submit a residential portfolio for sustainability certification.

The manager said its core UK residential strategy has submitted six assets to BRE’s BREEAM In-Use residential scheme, to “measure, benchmark and improve the sustainability performance” of the portfolio in a meaningful and transparent way.

Invesco said it plans to expand certification coverage across the UK residential portfolio as assets become eligible for assessment.

The BREEAM In-Use residential scheme was released in May this year and is the first BRE scheme of its kind, allowing landlords to benchmark the sustainability performance of operational build to rent residential assets.

Anna Duchnowska, managing director, head of European asset management at Invesco, said: ”This early action is important to ensure that we are applying the same sustainability standards to residential properties that we have long integrated into the management of our commercial properties.

“With the release of the BRE’s residential scheme, we now have the ability to do this in a way that aligns with our commercial initiatives. We welcome the BRE’s thought and care in providing strong tools for measuring and improving our environmental performance across all property sectors, and we look forward to expanding BREEAM benchmarking broadly across our residential and commercial properties with the BRE’s diligent support.’

Victoria Stanley, director of residential investment at Invesco said: “Our involvement in this exciting initiative underpins our investment ethos to invest in housing for the long-term in a socially responsible and sustainable way, and to innovate and continually evolve investments to ensure that we build and deliver quality homes for rent that attract and retain a diverse tenant base and aim to deliver performance for our investors.”

James Fisher, strategic real estate lead at BRE Global, said: “We are so pleased to see this early support and commitment to BREEAM In-Use version 6 for residential assets from Invesco.

”They have quickly moved to implement their commitment on their residential portfolio, building on their earlier adoption of the scheme for their commercial assets and maintaining their leadership position around ESG matters in the real estate market as a whole.”

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