Ascend, which says it’s now the UK’s largest third-party operator of single-family Build To Rent homes, has recruited a new associated director of property to handle its portfolio of some 10,000 BTR and buy to let properties. 

Daniel Mendez will lead Ascend’s consultancy and operational activities across the entire Building Safety Act spectrum, be part of a team aiming to expand the firm’s role in Build To Rent and estate management, and oversee an in-house property services company specialising in maintenance, compliance, end of tenancy works, capital projects and decarbonisation programmes.

Following a year of development by in-house industry experts, Mendez will be releasing a building compliance app, initially for internal use on client’s portfolios.

He joins from Dandara Living, where he was national head of facilities and estates, managing a national Build To Rent portfolio and heading its estate management experience across some of the UK’s highest-profile buildings including the Shard, King’s Cross and Dandara’s Chapel Wharf development, the largest urban BTR project outside of London.

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 portfolio 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 The PRS REIT plc, Sigma Capital Group, TPG Real Estate Partners, Gatehouse Investment Management and the Kuwait Investment Authority. 

Managing director Paul Borrmann says: “Effective facilities and estate management is central to the performance of any property portfolio, and Daniel’s arrival will further strengthen our capabilities in this area, enhancing both investor returns and resident experience. He brings considerable experience with multifamily assets, expertise that will underpin our further expansion into the multifamily BTR sector, allowing us to deliver a ‘full portfolio’ service to investors, driving greater efficiencies and improved returns across the living sectors.”