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Industries & Specialties

Living

A full-lifecycle platform for maximum value
woman inside apartment
 

The living sector is evolving fast, shaped by a rapid evolution in demographic trends, lifestyle demands and investor appetite.

Hong Kong's Living sector is at a genuine inflection point. Government policy has shifted decisively to unlock build-to-rent (BTR), purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA), and co-living supply. This has created a structured opportunity for institutional investors, developers, and operators who move with conviction. We advise clients across the full asset lifecycle, from acquisition strategy and underwriting through to leasing, asset management, and exit. We combine proprietary market knowledge with on-the-ground expertise to help clients capitalize on this structural shift before it becomes consensus.

What Sets Us Apart

Full Lifecycle Expertise

We advise across the entire lifespan of Living assets in Hong Kong, from site selection and feasibility through to lease-up, management, and divestment. This end-to-end perspective ensures strategy and execution remain aligned, protecting returns across the asset's life.

Living Sector Specialists

Our team offers deep expertise in BTR , PBSA, and co-living. In a market where each sub-sector has unique regulations, this specialised knowledge is a prerequisite for success.

Data-Led, Human-Centered

We combine proprietary research and market intelligence with a focus on resident experience. Understanding both macro trends like population ageing and resident needs is key to driving durable asset performance.

Invested in Performance

Every recommendation we make is grounded in economics. Whether advising on underwriting, operational structuring, or exit timing in Hong Kong's market, we apply analytical discipline to support strong, durable returns for our clients.

Sustainability in Practice

We help clients embed sustainability into design, development, and operations. This meets institutional investor expectations for local Living assets and protects long-term value.

Services

Our Living Services

Valuation & Advisory


Every credible deal needs institutional-grade valuation. We offer financial reporting valuations, acquisition support, and feasibility studies for BTR, PBSA, and co-living assets, using proprietary data specific to Hong Kong market dynamics.

Learn more about our valuations services

Capital Markets


We connect owners, developers, and operators with institutional capital. Our team structures transactions and advises on timing in a market with growing investor appetite for residential assets.

Learn more about our capital markets services

Strategic Advisory & Consulting


We guide developers, investors, and operators through every stage of the asset lifecycle. We provide the strategic counsel needed to navigate a complex regulatory environment.

Learn more about our strategic consulting services

Project & Development Services


We help clients achieve their Living real estate goals by integrating expertise across project management, building consultancy, cost consultancy, building engineering, and sustainability. Our specialists provide end-to-end support, from design to construction, ensuring value-driven, risk-managed solutions.

Learn more about our project & development services

Research & Market Intelligence


In a rapidly evolving market, accurate data is your competitive advantage. Our dedicated research team provides proprietary analysis, forecasting, and market intelligence specific to the Living sector, empowering our clients to make informed decisions.

Specialisation

Industry Expertise

Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA)


The pipeline is growing due to rising student enrolment and government conversion schemes. We advise on site feasibility, planning, valuation, and capital structuring, helping clients enter a market where policy momentum is strong and supply is tight.

Build-to-Rent (BTR)


BTR is now becoming a reality. Projects like the Northern Metropolis and regulatory reforms are creating a new market. We help developers and investors navigate this emerging sector where the rules and returns are still being defined.

Co-Living


Co-living addresses a key gap, high housing costs and demand for flexible, managed living. We advise operators and investors on feasibility, asset positioning, and capital strategy, using our deep knowledge of the local planning and licensing environment.

Team

Tom Ko
Tom Ko

Executive Director, Head of Capital Markets, Hong Kong, Greater China
Hong Kong, Greater China

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Alvin Lau
Alvin Lau

Director
Hong Kong, Greater China

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Contact us

Research

Hong Kong Office Retail Residential Investment Market Report 1H 2026
Research • Economy

Hong Kong Office, Retail, Residential And Capital Markets 1H 2026 Review And 2H 2026 Outlook

Hong Kong residential market activity remained robust in Q2 as transaction numbers surpassed 22,000 cases. Grade A office market net absorption remained positive. Total retail sales continued to recover steadily. End-users and well-capitalized investors were active amid attractive office asset pricing.
Rosanna Tang • 07/07/2026
Hong Kong Office Market Investment Focus Report 2026
Research • Investment / Capital Markets

Hong Kong Office Buildings Investment Back In Focus: A Market Reassessment

Hong Kong office buildings are returning to investors’ radar. After several years of rental and capital value corrections, the market is entering a new phase characterized by firmer occupier demand, renewed interest in prime office assets, and a notable pickup in office investment transaction activity. 
Rosanna Tang • 13/05/2026
Chinese Mainland Real Estate Sustainability Report 2026
Research • Sustainability / ESG

Beyond The Carbon Blind Spot — Embodied Carbon And Scope 3 Emissions In The Commercial Property Sector On The Chinese Mainland

Explore strategies to help industry stakeholders embed whole-life carbon thinking at the core of decision-making.
Shaun Brodie • 22/04/2026
Hong Kong Office Retail Residential Market Report Q1 2026
Research • Economy

Hong Kong Office, Retail And Residential Markets Q1 2026 Review And Outlook

Hong Kong residential market Q1 transaction numbers grew 53% y-o-y with home prices across segments recording growth. Grade A office market net absorption remained positive for the tenth consecutive quarter. Overall retail sales continued to recover on the back of rising tourist arrivals.    
 
Rosanna Tang • 14/04/2026
Hong Kong Budget 2026 2027 House Views
Research • Economy

Hong Kong Budget 2026 / 2027 House Views

The Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region delivered the 2026–27 Budget on February 25, 2026, outlining a series of measures related to aligning with the National 15th Five-Year Plan, enhancing industry development, attracting talent, residents’ wellbeing, land and housing, and public finance policies.
Rosanna Tang • 02/03/2026
GWS - Shaun Brodie - Image Tile.jpg
Research • Investment / Capital Markets

Chinese Mainland Life Sciences Real Estate: Capital Markets Outlook 2025

The Chinese mainland’s life sciences sector is entering a new era of global influence, underpinned by robust policy support, surging R&D investment, and the rapid evolution of both biotech and MedTech solutions.
Shaun Brodie • 09/09/2025
Jason Zhang card image
Insights • Investment / Capital Markets

Jason Zhang: Shifting Trends In Chinese Outbound Investment: From Big To Nimble

The dominant profile of Chinese investors going abroad has shifted dramatically in the past few years following the end of the COVID-19 pandemic era. The “Big and Bold” players are largely gone, replaced by “Small and Nimble” private investors, family offices, and corporations acquiring assets for their own use. 
Jason Zhang • 19/05/2025
China Data Centers Report 2024
Research • Investment / Capital Markets

Data Centers In Greater China — Three Points To Process In 2024

The Greater China data center market has continued to evolve since we published our last thematic paper on this market in 2022. As investors, developers and operators continue to involve themselves in the data center market in the region, there are many themes, topics, and issues to consider. This report looks at three key points: the market, government policy, and asset management.
 
Shaun Brodie • 29/02/2024
Asia Pacific Sustainability Walkable Cities Report 2023
Research • Sustainability / ESG

Hiking Sustainability Via Walkable Cities

The urban area and its associated design, planning, development and operation, plays a big role in bringing transformational change to address the way we live as well as our changing climate. To bring about beneficial living and urban environmental sustainability change that results in sustainable urban environs, this report looks at the following topics: A Change For The Good, The 15-Minute City, Urban Public Space, Transit-Orientated Development, Ecological Solutions, and Net-Zero Buildings.
Shaun Brodie • 08/11/2023
John Lam
Insights • Investment / Capital Markets

John Lam: Opportunities and Challenges in Life Sciences Investment in China

Interest in China’s life sciences sector has been rising over the past two years, with most first-time investors preferring to start with first-tier markets such as Beijing and Shanghai, which benefit from more transparent local government plans and support mechanisms, as well as greater access to talent pools.
09/12/2022
Data Centres in Mainland China: Four Points to Process in 2022
Research • Investment / Capital Markets

Data Centres | Mainland China

With national plans that set targets demanding data centre efficiency and government strategies to create data centre mega clusters, Mainland China’s data centre market is evolving rapidly.
Shaun Brodie • 20/04/2022
Data center
Research • Sustainability / ESG

Webinar Series | The Sustainability Imperative for Data Centres

With the extremely high consumption of power by data centres and the significant carbon footprint the sector generates, there is a need to strengthen sector-wide standards and commitments for the sustainable data centre operations.
Todd Olson • 29/09/2021
View all

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Advisory spans the full asset lifecycle, from early-stage feasibility and planning strategy through to acquisition, leasing, asset management, and eventual sale. We work with institutional investors, developers, and operators. Given the specific planning framework and the pace of recent policy reform in Hong Kong, our advisory integrates regulatory intelligence with financial analysis.

Policy direction has shifted meaningfully over the past three years. Initiatives including the Northern Metropolis development, expanded student enrolment caps, and commercial-to-hostel conversion schemes have created a more structured environment for institutional investment.

The region offers a combination of structural undersupply, a highly mobile international population, and a government actively working to unlock new housing typologies. BTR, PBSA, and co-living all address genuine demand gaps. For institutional investors, this translates into credible long-term demand drivers, improving policy visibility, and increasing liquidity as the market matures in Hong Kong.

Valuing assets requires more than applying standard residential methodologies. BTR, PBSA, and co-living assets are operationally intensive, and their value is tied to income performance and operator quality. We bring institutional-grade valuation frameworks and deep familiarity with the regulatory environment to produce valuations that hold up to auditor scrutiny in Hong Kong.

PBSA currently presents the clearest near-term opportunity, given the combination of explicit government policy support, defined demand from university expansion, and a constrained existing supply base. BTR is building momentum as the Northern Metropolis project advances and institutional interest grows.

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