About Us

Who We Are

Based in Rochester, New York, Home Leasing is a private, family-owned company operating in New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland. Our services include development, construction and property management—but we do much more than that. Every aspect of our business is driven by our mission to improve the lives of our residents and the communities in which we work.

Our History

Twin brothers, Nelson and Norman Leenhouts, founded Home Leasing Corporation in 1967. For more than 25 years, Nelson and Norman grew Home Leasing Corporation into a substantial real estate business with a diversified portfolio of single-family homes, apartments, and commercial properties. After years of success, Nelson and Norman formed Home Properties, which became a public company in 1994 was traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol HME. During that time, the company grew to have approximately 50,000 rental apartments in 12 states, including 10,000 affordable apartments. From 1994 until 2005, Nelson and Norman served as joint CEOs of Home Properties.

In 2004, Home Properties transitioned its affordable housing and commercial real estate back to Nelson and Norman. In 2006, Home Leasing split the affordable housing and commercial business, with Norman’s family forming Broadstone Real Estate and taking over all commercial properties, while Nelson’s family formed Home Leasing, and took over the affordable housing and community development segments of the business.

In 2008, Home Leasing Construction was established to coordinate and manage all construction services for Home Leasing projects as well as for third party construction.  In 2015 Home Leasing grew to include an in-house development team.

There are now three generations of the Leenhouts family at Home Leasing.  The company employs over 200 people with its central offices located in downtown Rochester, New York.  

Home Leasing plans to remain a privately-owned family business for generations. In 2017 Bret Garwood joined Home Leasing as Chief Operating Officer and succeeded Nelson as CEO in March of 2019. Nelson has been appointed Chairman Emeritus. Company growth and operations will continue to be guided by a Family Council of owners and an Advisory Board who provides outside expertise.

Our Core Values

Home Leasing supports a culture where every employee is a valued and contributing member of the team guided by these core values: 

Servant Leadership
Leaders first seek to be stewards accountable for the well-being of the organization by operating in service, rather than in control. Team members who directly serve the customer or construct communities are at the top of the organizational chart. 

Commitment to Community
We believe every person has equal value and we respect every individual. We do not make decisions that benefit ourselves at the expense of those around us. We embrace diversity. 

Transparency
Openness and honesty demonstrate our integrity. We foster a fiduciary relationship with every resident, employee, partner, vendor and neighbor. 

Generosity
We engage in the communities where we work and are giving with our time and our knowledge. We support a culture of volunteerism and charitable giving. 

Sustainability
We do what is best for our employees, best for our communities and best for the environment while ensuring the sustainability of our company. We support and encourage the personal and professional growth of our employees. We will maintain our status as a Certified B Corp.