Unlock Monthly Income: How These 3 REITs Could Diversify Your Income Sources in 2026

Monthly Dividend REITs: A Path to Recurring Revenue

Looking to diversify your income source this December? Real estate investment trusts offering monthly distributions provide a compelling vehicle for creating regular cash flow. With just $2,000, you can establish multiple income sources that generate ongoing payments throughout 2026.

The case for monthly-paying REITs is straightforward: rather than waiting quarterly for dividend checks, these investments deliver payments every 30 days. Here’s how three leading properties-focused trusts stack up for potential deployment:

EPR Properties: Experiential Real Estate Driving Distribution Growth

EPR Properties operates a specialized niche within the REIT sector—experiential real estate. The company’s portfolio spans movie theaters, entertainment venues, and attractions leased to operating partners. This stable lease structure generates predictable rental cash flows.

Recent strategic moves signal expansion momentum. EPR deployed $113 million across two major transactions: acquiring five championship golf courses in Dallas and purchasing an ocean-themed waterpark, both through sale-leaseback arrangements. These additions pushed 2025 capital deployment to $285 million, exceeding guidance.

With a 3.5% dividend increase already implemented in 2024, the company’s aggressive investment posture positions it for another low-to-mid single-digit payout raise in 2026. The expansion of its revenue-generating property base supports the viability of these income source enhancements.

Healthpeak Properties: Healthcare Portfolio Repositioning

Healthpeak Properties focuses on healthcare real estate—medical office buildings, life science facilities, and senior housing complexes. These assets generate steady rental income from leading healthcare operators and pharmaceutical companies.

A significant transformation occurred in 2025: Healthpeak transitioned to a monthly dividend schedule (a shift from quarterly payments). Simultaneously, it delivered a 2% dividend increase after maintaining flat payouts during a prior period of financial restructuring. The REIT is currently executing a $1 billion-plus monetization program for certain outpatient medical office assets, capitalizing on strong private market valuations.

This capital will fund multiple growth initiatives: new medical office development, lab property acquisitions, and share repurchases. The improving financial profile suggests the company is now positioned to establish a pattern of consistent dividend expansion.

Realty Income: The Dividend Aristocrat Model

Realty Income represents the dividend growth archetype in the REIT space. The landlord operates a geographically diverse portfolio spanning retail, industrial, and gaming properties across U.S. and European markets. This diversification underpins consistent rental revenue.

The company’s growth trajectory speaks for itself. Since listing in 1994, Realty Income has increased its monthly distribution on 132 separate occasions—a compound annual growth rate of 4.2%. The current year saw a 2.3% payout increase. Capital deployment also remains robust: $6 billion in new property investments targeted for 2026, including an $800 million gaming property credit facility in Las Vegas.

With one of the strongest balance sheets in the REIT sector, Realty Income appears well-positioned to sustain its multi-decade dividend expansion streak.

Building Your Income Source Strategy for 2026

These three monthly-dividend REITs offer distinct characteristics that complement one another within a diversified real estate investment approach. EPR’s experiential focus, Healthpeak’s healthcare specialization, and Realty Income’s broad market exposure create portfolio balance.

Collectively, a $2,000 allocation split equally among these positions could establish a monthly income source of approximately $10.82, renewable each month throughout 2026 and beyond. More importantly, the underlying growth investments these companies are executing suggest dividend expansion potential—meaning your income source may grow over time rather than remain static.

For December investors seeking to establish and expand their income source through real assets, these monthly-paying REIT opportunities warrant serious consideration.