Nathan Cockerill speaks to the Australian Financial Review
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Keyton CEO Nathan Cockerill stands in a green room

Nathan Cockerill speaks to the Australian Financial Review

Thursday, 26 June 2025

Last week Keyton CEO Nathan Cockerill had the pleasure of talking with Nick Lenaghan, The Australian Financial Review's property editor about Keyton and the growth opportunity in Australia's retirement living sector.

This insightful piece covers an array of topics from growing the Keyton portfolio to the evolving expectations of retirement living. 

See some key take aways below and read the full article here.

From the AFR


“There’s a lot of activity going on across the sector, around various forms of capital, looking at this sector as an alternative class of assets,” Cockerill said.

“The cash yield may be lower than what [investors] usually get from commercial real estate. But ultimately, the long-term growth opportunities in this sector are there."

“It’s one of those sectors where there’s an ageing demographic and there’s huge opportunity in the long run around this portfolio. We see more capital looking at this and trying to get an understanding of the business model.”

Underlying that confidence are some big demographic and economic drivers. Vacancy is at 4 per cent in the sector and average cost of a unit is 59 per cent of the median house price, according to a Property Council/PwC survey released week.

By 2040, the over-75 population is expected increase from around 2 million to 3.7 million – an 85 per cent increase. But over the next five years, just over 12,000 new units are expected to be built.

Another shift is apparent also, as more than half the new facilities will be apartment-style buildings or at least multi-level, according to the survey. Increasingly, operators such as Keyton include home care services either directly or through a third-party provider.

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Tim Mahony