Company Description
Diversified Healthcare Trust (Nasdaq: DHC) is a Maryland real estate investment trust (REIT) that focuses on owning high-quality healthcare properties located throughout the United States. The trust seeks diversification across the health services spectrum by care delivery and practice type, by scientific research disciplines and by property type and location. DHC’s portfolio includes senior living communities as well as medical office and life science properties, and it is headquartered in Newton, Massachusetts.
DHC’s business is centered on acquiring, owning and operating healthcare-related real estate. According to recent company disclosures, as of dates in 2025 DHC’s portfolio totaled approximately $6.7–$6.8 billion in gross book value and included hundreds of properties in dozens of U.S. states and Washington, D.C. These assets comprise more than 26,000 senior living units and millions of square feet of medical office and life science space, occupied by hundreds of tenants. The trust’s revenues are primarily derived from rents and related income from these properties and from its senior housing operations.
DHC has historically described its operations in terms of an office portfolio and a senior housing operating portfolio, often referred to as SHOP. The office portfolio includes medical office buildings and life science properties leased to medical-related businesses and organizations engaged in scientific research. The SHOP segment consists of senior living communities that offer multiple types of residential care. These communities encompass independent living, assisted living and other senior housing arrangements, and are operated under management agreements with third-party senior living operators.
The trust emphasizes diversification within healthcare real estate. By owning properties that serve different care delivery models and practice types, and that support various scientific research disciplines, DHC aims to spread exposure across multiple parts of the healthcare ecosystem. Its medical office and life science properties provide space for medical practices and research activities, while its senior living units support housing and care for older adults. This mix of property types and tenant uses is a core feature of DHC’s stated strategy.
DHC is managed by The RMR Group (Nasdaq: RMR), which is described in company communications as a U.S. alternative asset management company focused on commercial real estate and related businesses. RMR provides asset and property management services and has decades of experience in buying, selling, financing and operating commercial real estate. DHC is one of RMR’s managed clients, and RMR’s role includes supporting DHC’s capital markets activities, property operations and portfolio management.
The trust also participates in joint ventures and minority equity interests related to healthcare and life science real estate. For example, The RMR Group has reported that a joint venture owning Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated’s headquarters in the Boston Seaport district includes Diversified Healthcare Trust as a 10% equity owner. This illustrates DHC’s involvement not only in wholly owned properties but also in selected partnership structures tied to large, specialized assets.
DHC’s capital structure includes senior notes listed on Nasdaq under symbols DHCNI and DHCNL, representing 5.625% Senior Notes due 2042 and 6.25% Senior Notes due 2046, respectively. The company has also issued senior secured notes due 2030 in a private offering, guaranteed by certain subsidiaries that own fee-owned real properties in the United States and by subsidiaries that guarantee other DHC senior notes. These financing arrangements are governed by indentures that include financial and operating covenants, such as limits on additional indebtedness and requirements to maintain specified financial ratios.
The trust has engaged in capital recycling and debt management activities, including the sale of non-core properties and the redemption of existing senior secured notes. In 2025, DHC disclosed that it completed the sale of dozens of properties for gross proceeds in the hundreds of millions of dollars and used a portion of the proceeds, along with cash on hand, to redeem a substantial portion of its zero coupon senior secured notes due 2026. As a result of these actions, DHC reported that it addressed a significant near-term debt maturity and released collateral properties associated with those notes.
Within its senior housing operating portfolio, DHC has undertaken changes to its operator base. The company announced that management agreements for 116 of its SHOP communities previously managed by AlerisLife Inc. (through its Five Star Senior Living operating division) are being sold and the operations transferred to seven different senior living operators. These transitions are described as occurring in tranches and are intended to diversify DHC’s operator base and concentrate operations in certain geographic markets. DHC has also noted that AlerisLife is selling all of its assets and expects to wind down its business, and that DHC holds a 34% ownership interest in AlerisLife from which it expects to receive net proceeds upon completion of the wind-down.
DHC’s common shares of beneficial interest are listed on the Nasdaq, and the trust has declared regular quarterly cash distributions on its common shares. Company disclosures emphasize that distribution rates are determined by the Board of Trustees based on factors such as funds from operations, cash available for distribution, requirements to maintain REIT status, debt agreement limitations, access to capital and expectations for future capital needs and operating performance. The trust has cautioned that future distributions may be increased or decreased at the discretion of the Board.
As a Maryland real estate investment trust with transferable shares of beneficial interest, DHC states that no shareholder, trustee or officer is personally liable for any act or obligation of the trust. This structure, combined with its focus on healthcare-related real estate, positions DHC as a specialized REIT within the broader finance and insurance sector, particularly within the category often described as other financial vehicles.
Business Segments and Portfolio Focus
Office and life science properties. DHC’s office portfolio consists of medical office and life science properties located across numerous U.S. states. These buildings are leased to medical-related businesses and organizations involved in scientific research. The properties provide space for clinical practices, outpatient services and research activities, and contribute rental income under long-term and short-term lease arrangements.
Senior housing operating portfolio (SHOP). The SHOP segment includes senior living communities offering multiple types of residential care. These communities provide independent living and other senior housing options, and DHC’s disclosures reference a large base of senior living units across its portfolio. The communities are managed by third-party operators under management agreements, and DHC has highlighted recent transitions of these agreements to a diversified group of senior living operators.
Management and Governance
DHC is externally managed by The RMR Group, which provides management services to DHC and other real estate-related clients. RMR’s experience in commercial real estate and its scale in asset management are cited by DHC as important to the trust’s operations, financing activities and property-level management. DHC’s governance structure includes a Board of Trustees responsible for decisions such as setting distribution rates, overseeing capital allocation and approving major transactions.
Capital Markets and Financing
DHC accesses capital through common equity, senior notes and secured debt. Its senior notes due 2042 and 2046 trade on Nasdaq under the symbols DHCNI and DHCNL. In 2025, the trust completed a private offering of 7.250% senior secured notes due 2030, guaranteed by subsidiaries that own specified real properties and by other subsidiary guarantors. The proceeds were used in part to redeem a portion of DHC’s senior secured notes due 2026, with the remainder intended for related fees, expenses and general business purposes. The indenture governing the 2030 notes includes covenants that restrict additional indebtedness above certain levels, require maintenance of financial ratios and limit certain activities of the subsidiary guarantors.
Strategic Initiatives
DHC has described a capital recycling program focused on selling non-core properties and redeploying capital. In 2025, the trust reported completing the sale of dozens of properties and entering agreements to sell additional SHOP communities. These asset sales, together with debt repayments and refinancings, are presented by DHC as part of efforts to optimize its balance sheet and portfolio.
The transition of the SHOP communities from AlerisLife to seven other senior living operators is another key initiative. DHC has indicated that the new operators have established records in senior living operations and that the management agreements include performance-based terms. The company has stated that these changes are intended to strengthen its SHOP segment, improve operating performance and diversify operator relationships.
Regulatory Reporting
As a public company, Diversified Healthcare Trust files reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. Recent Form 8-K filings have covered topics such as quarterly financial results, investor presentations, the sale of management agreements for SHOP communities, and the issuance and partial redemption of senior secured notes. These filings provide detailed information on DHC’s financial condition, operating performance, risk factors and material events.