real estate news

HDFC Capital and Curated Living Solutions Launch India’s First Institutional Rental Housing Platform

2026-01-28 · Geosquare

HDFC Capital Advisors, the real estate private equity arm of the HDFC Group, has partnered with Curated Living Solutions (CLS) to launch India’s first large-scale institutional rental housing platform. This initiative, backed by an initial corpus of Rs 1,000 crore, will develop and manage rental assets across various segments, including co-living, student housing, and worker accommodation. The platform aims to formalize India’s rental market, focusing on top urban centers.

The initial phase will target key urban markets such as Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, Pune, and Chennai. These cities are experiencing significant workforce mobility, student inflows, and rising housing costs, which are driving the shift towards rental living.

“India’s urban rental housing market is at an inflection point, shaped by a young and mobile population. Rental housing is essential to enhance mobility, particularly for students, young professionals, and migrant workers,” said Vipul Roongta, Managing Director and CEO of HDFC Capital Advisors. CLS, promoted by the Bengaluru-based real estate developer DivyaSree Group, currently manages over 13,000 beds across the country, spanning co-living, student accommodation, and worker housing.

By combining HDFC Capital’s long-term capital with CLS’s operational expertise, the platform will focus on developing and owning high-quality rental housing assets with a strong emphasis on safety, functional design, and sustainability, according to Bhaskar Raju, Promoter of Curated Living Solutions and DivyaSree Group.

The partnership is anchored in long-term demographic and urbanization trends, including a young, mobile population, increasing migration for education and employment, and changing lifestyle preferences that prioritize flexibility over home ownership. According to industry estimates, India has over 450 million urban residents, with nearly 30–35% living in rented homes. However, the organized rental and co-living segment remains a small fraction of total demand.

Market experts note that institutional rental housing is emerging as a distinct asset class in India, offering stable, annuity-style returns while addressing affordability and quality gaps in urban housing. With rising home prices, limited supply of affordable ownership housing, and greater acceptance of rental living, professionally managed rental platforms are expected to see sustained demand and investor interest.

Colliers estimates that while India currently has only around 0.3 million organized co-living beds, the demand is close to 6.6 million beds. Student housing alone accounts for an estimated 8–9 million beds, most of which are unorganized. Migrant and workforce housing adds several million more units across industrial and service hubs.

India’s worker housing market remains one of the country’s largest yet most underserved real estate segments. With over 40 million migrant workers moving across cities for jobs in construction, manufacturing, and services, demand for affordable, safe, and professionally managed rental housing far outstrips supply.

“Our priority has been to deliver well-designed and efficiently managed rental housing solutions. Partnering with HDFC Capital allows us to scale the platform and expand our presence across key urban markets in India,” said Jai Challa, CEO of Curated Living Solutions.