Exhibit 5.1

Hogan Lovells US LLP

Columbia Square

555 Thirteenth Street, NW

Washington, DC 20004

T +1 202 637 5600

F +1 202 637 5910

www.hoganlovells.com

January 15, 2016

Board of Trustees

American Homes 4 Rent

30601 Agoura Road, Suite 200

Agoura Hills, California 91301

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We are acting as counsel to American Homes 4 Rent, a Maryland real estate investment trust (the “Company”), in connection with its registration statement on Form S-4, as amended (the “Registration Statement”), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”) relating to the issuance of up to 37,924,552 Class A common shares of beneficial interest, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company (the “Shares”) in connection with the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated December 3, 2015, among the Company, Sunrise Merger Sub, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, American Homes 4 Rent, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership, OP Merger Sub, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, American Residential Properties, Inc., a Maryland corporation, American Residential Properties OP, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership, and American Residential GP, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Merger Agreement”). This opinion letter is furnished to you at your request to enable you to fulfill the requirements of Item 601(b)(5) of Regulation S-K, 17 C.F.R. § 229.601(b)(5), in connection with the Registration Statement.

For purposes of this opinion letter, we have examined copies of such agreements, instruments and documents as we have deemed an appropriate basis on which to render the opinion hereinafter expressed. In our examination of the aforesaid documents, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the legal capacity of all natural persons, the accuracy and completeness of all documents submitted to us, the authenticity of all original documents, and the conformity to authentic original documents of all documents submitted to us as copies (including telecopies). We also have assumed that the Shares will not be issued in violation of the ownership limit contained in the Company’s Articles of Amendment and Restatement of Declaration of Trust, as amended. As to all matters of fact, we have relied on the representations and statements of fact made in the documents so reviewed, and we have not independently established the facts so relied on. This opinion letter is given, and all statements herein are made, in the context of the foregoing.

This opinion letter is based as to matters of law solely on the applicable provisions of Title 8 of the Corporations and Associations Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland, as amended, and

Board of Trustees

American Homes 4 Rent

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January 15, 2016

applicable provisions of the Maryland General Corporation Law, as amended. We express no opinion herein as to any other laws, statutes, ordinances, rules, or regulations.

Based upon, subject to and limited by the foregoing, we are of the opinion that following (i) effectiveness of the Registration Statement and (ii) issuance of the Shares pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, the Shares will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

This opinion letter has been prepared for use in connection with the Registration Statement. We assume no obligation to advise you of any changes in the foregoing subsequent to the effective date of the Registration Statement.

We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion letter as Exhibit 5.1 to the Registration Statement and to the reference to this firm under the caption “Legal Matters” in the prospectus constituting a part of the Registration Statement. In giving this consent, we do not thereby admit that we are an “expert” within the meaning of the Act.

Very truly yours,

/s/ Hogan Lovells US LLP

HOGAN LOVELLS US LLP