Australian Unity’s Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) Fund has expanded its national footprint, acquiring a portfolio of 23 SDA properties from disability housing provider Casa Capace in a deal that strengthens its presence in New South Wales.
The acquisition includes 15 operational clustered house and villa SDA projects and eight development sites located across metropolitan and regional New South Wales and Victoria. The portfolio was purchased from a consortium of investors led by Australian Ethical, following a limited tender process in which Australian Unity was selected as the preferred bidder.
The 15 operating properties, designed by Casa Capace to SDA best-practice standards, have maintained strong occupancy levels and have been managed by Vera Living since 2024. Vera Living is already an SDA provider within Australian Unity’s existing SDA portfolio.
The transaction increases the scale of Australian Unity’s SDA Fund to 376 participant places across Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory, with a gross asset value exceeding $285 million. The acquisition also significantly boosts the fund’s New South Wales presence, increasing participant places in the state from 20 to 91.
Australian Unity Specialist Disability Accommodation Fund Manager Jacob Edwards said the portfolio was a strong strategic fit.
“We’re proud to be expanding Australian Unity’s SDA Fund portfolio with the addition of these highly attractive properties, which are built to the SDA Alliance’s best practice design standards and naturally share the same principles and characteristics as those in our portfolio,” Mr Edwards said.
“It’s an acquisition that strengthens Australian Unity’s New South Wales presence and our national leadership as an investor in purpose-built SDA, with an approach combining scale, technical expertise, and deep industry relationships.”
Casa Capace is a founding member of the SDA Alliance, alongside Australian Unity, and has developed the portfolio to support people with disability requiring specialist housing solutions.
Australian Ethical, the lead vendor in the transaction, was also a cornerstone investor in the Australian Unity SDA Fund when it launched in April 2020.
The acquisition reflects continued investor interest in the growing SDA sector, which plays a critical role in delivering purpose-built housing for participants with high support needs under Australia’s disability support framework.
