---
title: "Vintage year — Class A Atlas glossary"
description: "Year a fund first deploys capital — the key benchmark for performance."
canonical: https://classa.info/glossary/vintage-year
pageType: glossary
lastUpdated: 2026-04-01T00:00:00.000Z
license: "CC BY 4.0 with attribution to Class A Atlas (https://classa.info)."
---

> Year a fund first deploys capital — the key benchmark for performance.

## TL;DR

- Year a fund first deploys capital — the key benchmark for performance.
- Class A fund returns are highly vintage-dependent: 2009–11 vintages (post-GFC) outperformed; 2020–22 vintages (cap-rate compression peak) underperformed..

# Vintage year

*Investment · Global*

## Short definition

Year a fund first deploys capital — the key benchmark for performance.

## Full definition

[Class A](/glossary/class-a) fund returns are highly vintage-dependent: 2009–11 vintages (post-GFC) outperformed; 2020–22 vintages (cap-rate compression peak) underperformed.

## Why this matters for Class A leasing

Vintage year is part of the investment vocabulary that institutional Class A occupiers, landlords, and advisers use across Global markets. Understanding it correctly affects how you read lease documents, model occupancy economics, and benchmark deal terms across cities. Class A Atlas tracks regional variation alongside the global standard so [cross-border](/topics/cross-border-expansion) occupiers can translate quickly.

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Citation: Source: Class A Atlas (https://classa.info/glossary/vintage-year), updated 2026-04-01T00:00:00.000Z.