Did you know the 50 largest apartment owners currently own approximately 2,122,748 units? Curious to know who these companies are and how they differ from apartment management companies? Property Manager Insider compiled the 50 largest apartment owners list for 2020. Keep reading to see the top 50!

Largest Apartment Owners: The Top 10

 

#1. MAA – 100,864 Units

#2. Equity Residential – 79,260 Units

#3. AvalonBay Communities – 78,549 Units

#4. Starwood Capital Group – 76,932 Units

#5. Related Companies – 69,300 Units

#6. Edward Rose Building Enterprise – 64,662 Units

#7. Greystar Real Estate Partners – 62,045 Units

#8. The Irvine Company – 60,592 Units

#9. Hunt Companies – 60,217 Units

#10. Essex Property Trust – 60,200 Units

 

Largest Apartment Owners: #11 to #20

 

#11. BH Equities, LLC – 58,411 Units

#12. Lincoln Property Company – 58,375 Units

#13. PGIM Real Estate – 56,404 Units

#14. Camden Property Trust – 55,160

#15. Weidner Apartment Homes – 52,624 Units

#16. Balfour Beatty Communities – 51,333 Units

#17. JPMorgan Asset Management – 51,241 Units

#18. Cortland – 50,955 Units

#19. Morgan Properties – 50,664 Units

#20. Monarch Investment & Management Group – 49,788 Units

 

Largest Apartment Owners: #21 to #30

 

#21. The Michaels Organization – 49,521 Units

#22. UDR, Inc – 47,928 Units

#23. Nuveen Real Estate – 38,410 Units

#24. UBS Realty Investors – 38,351 Units

#25. AIMCO – 36,549 Units

#26. Invesco Real Estate – 35,416 Units

#27. American Campus Communities – 33,542 Units

#28. Dominium – 33,340 Units

#29. Steadfast Companies – 30,953 Units

#30. Harbor Group International – 30,656

 

Largest Apartment Owners: #31 to #40

 

#31. Westdale Real Estate Invesment & Management – 29,366 Units

#32. FPA Multifamily – 28,750 Units

#33. GID – 28,514 units

#34. Heitman – 27,955 Units

#35. Carroll Organization – 27,553 Units

#36. JRK Property Holdings – 26,328 Units

#37. Bridge Investment Group – 26,324 Units

#38. AEW Capital Management, L.P. – 25,766 Units

#39. Southern Management Corporation – 25,327 Units

#40. Northland Investment Corporation – 25,037 Units

 

Largest Apartment Owners: #41 to #50

 

#41. Sentinel Real Estate Corporation – 25,000 Units

#42. TruAmerica Multifamily, LLC – 24,543 Units

#43. AMLI Residential – 24,150 Units

#44. American Landmark/Electra America – 24,000 Units

#45. Eaton Vance Management – 23,680 Units

#46. AIG Global Real Estate Investment Corp – 23,280 Units

#47. Knightvest Capital – 22,654 Units

#48. ROCO Real Estate – 21,059 Units

#49. The NRP Group – 20,747 Units

#50. Berkshire Residential Investments – 20,473 Units

 

Who Are The 50 Largest Apartment Owners?

Just because an apartment management company runs a community, it does not necessarily mean they own the property. In fact, many of the 50 largest apartment owners have nothing to do with the development, construction or management of apartments. As a result, it is important to highlight the distinction between apartment owners and apartment managers.

There are two main types of apartment owners. The first are turnkey companies that develop and/or acquire properties, then own and manage them. Equity Residential is a perfect example of this type of apartment owner. They own and manager their entire portfolio of 79,260 units, making them the the 2nd largest apartment owner and the 10th largest apartment management company. It should be noted that the top 10 largest apartment owners all rank on the top 50 largest apartment managers list. Many of these companies also appear on this list of the 26 largest real estate companies.

The second type of company on the 50 largest apartment owners list are private equity, wealth management or real estate investment companies. They look at apartment properties as financial vehicles that appreciate in value and produce cash flow. This includes companies from the list such as JPMorgan Asset Management, AIG Global Real Estate Investment Corp, and AEW Capital Management. These organizations are investing in the ownership of multifamily properties, but are fully removed from operations. These types of apartment owners should not be confused with apartment syndicators.

About The 50 Largest Apartment Owners List

Data and information for this list was taken from multiple sources, including reports from the National Multifamily Housing Council, CEL & Associates and the American Apartment Owners Association. Property Manager Insider cannot guarantee the accuracy of current units under ownership for any company included on the list. Totals were based on publicly available information as of the date of publishing this post. Click here to read about the 10 largest apartment management companies.