BlackRock, KKR buy majority stake in US home rental company
Asset managers and private equity firms finance growth in single-family market as demand rises

BlackRock, the world's biggest money manager, and private-equity firm KKR have gained a majority stake in Home Partners of America, a single-family rental company backed by mortgage-backed securities pioneer Lew Ranieri.

The investments were made within the last few months and will be used for an expansion, said the people, who would not provide financial terms.
Ranieri, 67, said in an interview that BlackRock and KKR invested in the company, without disclosing details of the transaction.
Rising renter demand for the firm's houses created a need for more financing, which funds managed by New York-based BlackRock and KKR are better able to provide, he said, speaking on the sidelines of a conference in Washington.
Home Partners, formerly called Hyperion Homes, has been buying "in the best neighbourhoods and they were buying more and more houses and needed more capital", Ranieri said.