INDEPENDENCE REALTY TRUST, INC.

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Filed by the Registrant ☒ Filed by a Party other than the Registrant ☐

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INDEPENDENCE REALTY TRUST, INC.

(Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if Other Than the Registrant)

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NOTICE OF 2026 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

YOUR VOTE IS VERY IMPORTANT. WHETHER OR NOT YOU ATTEND THE ANNUAL MEETING IN PERSON, WE URGE YOU TO VOTE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO VOTE ARE CONTAINED IN THE PROXY STATEMENT.

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be Held on May 13, 2026 This notice of annual meeting, proxy statement, form of proxy and our 2025 Annual Report on Form 10-K for our fiscal year ended December 31, 2025 (the "Annual Report") to stockholders are available at http://www.astproxyportal.com/ast/18286/.

Important Notice Regarding Internet Availability of Proxy Materials We will send a full set of proxy materials or a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (the “Notice of Internet Availability”) on or about March 26, 2026, and provide access to our proxy materials over the Internet, beginning on March 26, 2026, for the holders of record and beneficial owners of our shares of common stock as of the close of business March 16, 2026 (the “Record Date”). The Notice of Internet Availability instructs you on how to access and review the Proxy Statement and our Annual Report. The Notice of Internet Availability also instructs you on how you may authorize a proxy to vote your shares over the Internet and provides instructions on how you can request a paper copy of these documents if you desire, and how you can enroll in e-delivery. If you received your annual meeting materials via email, the email contains voting instructions and links to our Annual Report and proxy statement on the Internet.

Forward-Looking Statements This proxy statement (this "Proxy Statement") contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"). Such forward-looking statements can generally be identified by our use of forward-looking terminology such as “will,” “strategy,” “expects,” “seeks,” “believes,” “potential,” or other similar words that predict or indicate future events and trends and that do not report historical matters. Our forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve estimates, projections, forecasts and assumptions, including as to matters that are not within our control, and are subject to risks and uncertainties including, without limitation, risks and uncertainties related to changes in market demand for rental apartment homes and pricing pressures, including from competitors, that could lead to declines in occupancy and rent levels, uncertainty and volatility in capital and credit markets, including changes that reduce availability and increase costs of capital, unexpected changes in our intention or ability to repay certain debt prior to maturity, increased costs on account of inflation, increased competition in the labor market, delays in the completion of, and failure to achieve anticipated benefits of, our projects with our joint venture partners, inability to sell certain assets, including those assets designated as held for sale, within the time frames or at the pricing levels expected, failure to achieve expected benefits from the redeployment of proceeds from asset sales, inability or failure to achieve anticipated benefits from future acquisitions and dispositions, delays in stabilizing projects in lease-up, delays in completing, and cost overruns incurred in connection with, our value add initiatives and failure to achieve rent increases and occupancy levels on account of the value add initiatives, unexpected impairments or impairments in excess of our estimates, increased regulations generally and specifically on the rental housing market, including legislation that may regulate rents and fees or delay or limit our ability to evict non-paying residents, risks endemic to real estate and the real estate industry generally, the impact of potential outbreaks of infectious diseases and measures intended to prevent the spread or address the effects thereof, economic conditions, including inflation and recessionary conditions and their related impacts on the real estate industry, U.S. and global trade policies and tensions, including changes in, or the imposition of, tariffs and/or trade barriers and the economic impacts, volatility and uncertainty resulting therefrom, the impacts from a new or prolonged U.S. government shutdown, disruptions or increased costs resulting from international military conflicts or geopolitical tensions, the effects of natural and other disasters, unknown or unexpected liabilities, including the cost of legal proceedings, costs and disruptions as the result of a cybersecurity incident or other technology disruption, including but not limited to a third party's unauthorized access to our data or data of our residents, unexpected capital needs, inability to obtain appropriate insurance coverages at reasonable rates, or at all, or losses from catastrophes in excess of our insurance coverages, and share price fluctuations. Please refer to the documents filed by us with the SEC, including specifically the “Risk Factors” sections of our Annual Report, and our other filings with the SEC, which identify additional factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon the beliefs and expectations of our management at the time of this proxy statement and our actual results may differ materially from the expectations, intentions, beliefs, plans or predictions of the future expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as may be required by law.

These proxy materials are first being made available to our stockholders on or about March 26, 2026.

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