US-based build-to-rent giant Sentinel is on the march, putting its sizeable foot on its first Queensland site in a strategic move for some northern exposure in the Australian market.

In a significant move for the emerging asset class, it has swooped on a 1.44ha development site at Robina on the Gold Coast in a deal believed to be worth close to $20 million.

The acquisition of the development-ready parcel at 5-8 Stadium Drive—next to one of Queensland’s biggest sporting arenas—heralds not only Sentinel’s debut in the Sunshine State but the first purpose-built institutional build-to-rent play on the Gold Coast by one of the sector's powerhouse platforms.