Clarity before comparison
Whether you’re strengthening governance, responding to investor expectations, or preparing for the GRESB Real Estate Assessment, Fundamentals provides a structured starting point.
With Fundamentals you can:
- Validate governance and risk management through a focused, year-round assessment aligned with the GRESB Real Estate Standard
- Demonstrate credible sustainability oversight with a formal Pass/Fail outcome supported by a report and detailed feedback
- Communicate confidently with investors and stakeholders using recognized, GRESB-aligned reporting
- Build readiness for the GRESB Real Estate Assessment through a structured entry point designed to reduce uncertainty and build confidence
What Fundamentals covers
Fundamentals focuses on 17 core management indicators drawn from the GRESB Real Estate Standard and recognized as best practice across the sector. Together, they establish a practical baseline for sustainability management and disclosure.
The indicators span six themes:
Commitments
Governance
Policies
Risk assessments
Stakeholder engagement
Monitoring
See the full list of Fundamentals indicators in GRESB Guides.
Why choose Fundamentals
Fundamentals is designed for organizations that:
- Are building sustainability governance and management processes
- Face increasing investor expectations around sustainability oversight
- Need credible validation before comparative benchmarking
- Operate in emerging markets and want to align with global expectations
- Are preparing for future participation in the GRESB Real Estate Assessment
Organizations achieving Fundamentals demonstrate credible sustainability oversight, strengthening investor confidence and market positioning as they prepare for full assessment participation.
What you get
Participation in Fundamentals provides:
- A clear Pass/Fail outcome based on validated assessment results
- A formal Fundamentals Report to support internal alignment and stakeholder communication
- Indicator-level feedback highlighting strengths and opportunities for improvement
A structured pathway to the GRESB Real Estate Assessment
While based on a selection of shared indicators, Fundamentals is not a simplified version of the GRESB Real Estate Assessment, nor is it a replacement for full participation. Instead, Fundamentals serves as a structured entry point to the GRESB Real Estate Assessment by helping organizations:
- Establish credible governance and risk management practices
- Become familiar with the structure, language, and expectations of GRESB
- Reduce uncertainty and internal friction before full participation
- Build confidence before participating in the GRESB Real Estate Assessment
For many firms, Fundamentals is the first step toward satisfying investor expectations for credible sustainability oversight and progressing to the full Real Estate Assessment.
From management to performance
Fundamentals lays the foundation for credible sustainability management. Asset Benchmarking and Simulated Asset Scoring build on that foundation with asset-level insights that help you understand performance, prioritize action, and prepare for participation in the GRESB Real Estate Assessment.
Watch our regional Fundamentals webinars at your convenience to learn about how Fundamentals works, what to expect, and how it can help your organization establish credible sustainability governance and prepare for the GRESB Real Estate Assessment.
How it works
Fundamentals is a short assessment available year-round that real estate firms new to GRESB complete at their convenience. The steps include:
Purchase Fundamentals
Purchase participation for one or more reporting entities. After purchase, you’ll receive onboarding guidance and access to supporting resources.
Prepare your submission
Gather evidence for the 17 covered indicators and prepare documentation demonstrating your governance and risk management practices.
Submit when ready
Fundamentals is not tied to the full assessment timeline, so firms can submit whenever they are prepared. With a condensed suite of indicators focused on management practices, this can be done relatively quickly.
Get your results
After submission, GRESB will validate responses, provide indicator-level feedback to help teams understand strengths and gaps, and provide a report with a clear pass or fail result.
Have questions about Fundamentals? Or interested in getting started?
Fundamentals is available year-round.
Contact our team to purchase access or discuss whether Fundamentals is the right starting point for your organization.
FAQ
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No. Fundamentals is a separate, entry-level engagement with a significantly reduced reporting burden. It focuses on a limited set of 17 management indicators drawn directly from the GRESB Real Estate Standard and it does not produce a GRESB Score or Star Rating.
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Fundamentals is available year-round and open to real estate funds seeking a focused starting point before full participation in the GRESB Real Estate Assessment.
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Fundamentals does not provide full benchmarking, rankings, or peer comparisons like the GRESB Real Estate Assessment. Instead, it delivers a focused Pass/Fail outcome supported by a formal report, alongside limited contextual benchmarking against early-stage participants to help organizations understand their positioning.
Results are not benchmarked against peers and are not used for rankings. The results are provided to you for review, internal engagement, and to demonstrate commitment to investors or other stakeholders.
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Fundamentals is designed for new real estate reporting entities preparing for participation in the GRESB Real Estate Assessment, including organizations strengthening governance and risk management practices or operating in evolving disclosure environments. Existing Real Estate Assessment entities are not eligible. Read more about eligibility criteria in GRESB Guide.
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The 17 indicators covered by Fundamentals have been identified as key common practices for real estate organizations by the GRESB Foundation. Completing Fundamentals helps organizations establish a strong baseline before participating in the full GRESB Real Estate Assessment.
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Participants control how and whether results are shared. Participation includes a Fundamentals Report that can be used for investor and stakeholder communication.
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Fundamentals is designed to prepare participants for the full Real Estate Assessment. Many organizations use it to build internal capability before stepping up to full participation.
Together with Fundamentals, participants can choose to use Asset Benchmarking to gain asset-level performance insights and Simulated Asset Scoring to model potential GRESB outcomes before progressing to full assessment participation.