What ONGO does

Ongo Homes Ltd is a charitable Community Benefit Society (Registered No. 7639) and the parent of the Ongo group of companies, headquartered at Ongo House, High Street, Scunthorpe, United Kingdom. The entity was formed in 2007 when North Lincolnshire Council tenants voted to transfer approximately 10,000 homes to a new housing association (originally North Lincolnshire Homes, rebranded in 2012), and it is regulated by the Regulator of Social Housing. Ongo is the largest housing provider in Greater Lincolnshire and South Yorkshire, offering 10,000-12,000 homes for rent and sale through general needs lettings, shared ownership (25-75% initial share), Rent to Buy (80% of market rent), supported living, retirement living (50+), and outright sale, alongside Right to Buy/Acquire pathways for eligible tenants.

The group's revenue model is dominated by recurring residential rental (weekly to monthly Direct Debit), supplemented by one-off property sales, garage and storage rental (£8.85-£10.62/week), and a commercial services division operated through wholly-owned subsidiaries Hales & Coultas Heating and Plumbing, Ashbridge Roofing, and Trent Valley Electrical Services. Tenant engagement and service delivery are anchored on the My Home digital portal and mobile app (iOS/Android) integrated with Allpay for payments and with Rightmove for shared-ownership listings, while property allocation flows through choice-based lettings partnerships with five local authority schemes (Home Choice Lincs, Doncaster Home Choice, Bassetlaw HomeFinder, West Lindsey Home Choice, Lincs Home Finder). A wraparound community ecosystem — including Ongo Recruitment, Ongo Talk (mental health counselling), Crosby Brokerage (wellbeing budget management), Skills and Personal Development programmes, and physical community hubs The Arc (Westcliff, Scunthorpe) and The Viking Centre (Barton) — is funded via an annual £1 million community investment commitment.

Technology investment centres on IoT-enabled smart homes: Aico HomeLink sensors for early detection of damp and mould (pilot launched October 2024), Switchee smart thermostats for air source heat pump monitoring (October 2024 pilot), a remote visual assistance platform for first-time-fix repairs (deployed since 2022-08), and compliance with the Building Safety Act 2022 through mandatory occurrence reporting. The 2025-2029 Development Strategic Plan targets at least 1,200 additional homes by 2029, all designed to be net-zero ready, with the £31,651,259 ($31.65M) bLEND Funding facility dated 2024-03-21 underwriting the capital programme. The company employs 251-500 staff across housing management, repairs, development, compliance, and commercial services, with the subsidiary structure supported by separate Boards of Non-Executive Directors.

Name

ONGO

Legal name

Ongo Homes Ltd

Website

https://ongo.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Ongo Homes is a charitable Community Benefit Society and the largest housing provider in Greater Lincolnshire and South Yorkshire, managing 10,000-12,000 affordable rental and shared-ownership homes alongside community, mental-health, and trade-services subsidiaries for tenants and first-time buyers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Scunthorpe

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Residential Property Rental: ONGO generates primary revenue through renting affordable social housing properties across Greater Lincolnshire and South Yorkshire. They offer homes for rent through choice-based lettings schemes and direct advertising. Tenants pay weekly, fortnightly, four-weekly or monthly rent via Direct Debit.
2. Property Sales (Shared Ownership & Outright): Revenue from selling homes through shared ownership schemes (25-75% initial share purchase) and outright sale of properties. Includes Right to Buy and Right to Acquire schemes for eligible tenants.
3. Rent to Buy: Properties rented at 80% of market rent with option to purchase within five years or convert to shared ownership.
4. Garage and Storage Rental: Additional revenue stream from renting garages and storage spaces to tenants and private individuals at competitive weekly rates.
5. Commercial Services: Through subsidiaries Hales & Coultas Heating and Plumbing, Ashbridge Roofing, and Trent Valley Electrical Services, ONGO provides commercial heating, plumbing, roofing and electrical services to external customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ONGO is a charitable Community Benefit Society and housing association providing affordable homes for rent and sale across Greater Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire and surrounding areas. It operates multiple home tenure products (general rental, shared ownership, rent to buy, outright sale, supported living and retirement living), a 24/7 repairs and maintenance service, and commercial heating, plumbing, roofing and electrical services through subsidiaries. It also reinvests profits into wraparound community support services covering employment, skills, mental health and financial advice.

Product overview

ONGO (Ongo Homes) is a housing association operating as a group of companies providing affordable housing and community services across Greater Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire and surrounding areas. The core offering centers on homes for rent and sale through multiple tenure options including general rental, shared ownership, rent-to-buy, supported living, and retirement living. The main digital products are My Home (tenant portal for managing rent, repairs, and tenancy) and My Move (property search platform). ONGO also operates commercial subsidiaries including Hales & Coultas (heating/plumbing), Ashbridge Roofing, Trent Valley Electrical Services, Ongo Recruitment (employment services), and Crosby Brokerage. Community support services include Ongo Talk (mental health), Skills and Personal Development programs, and community hubs (The Arc, Viking Centre). Smart home technology is being piloted including IoT sensors for damp/mould detection and smart thermostats for heat pump monitoring.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ongo Recruitment: Not-for-profit employment agency that reinvests profits back into community projects
• Ongo Developments
• Ongo Talk
• My Home

Products and services

• Homes to Rent Affordable rental housing allocated to individuals and families across Greater Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire and surrounding areas through choice-based lettings partnerships with local authorities and direct advertising via the My Move portal. Tenants pay weekly, fortnightly, four-weekly or monthly rent by Direct Debit with no admin fees or bonds.
• Shared Ownership Homeownership scheme helping first-time buyers unable to afford a 100% purchase purchase an initial 25-75% share of a property and pay subsidised rent on the remaining share, with the ability to buy additional shares (staircasing) toward full ownership. Buyers must have gross household income under £80,000.
• Rent to Buy Rental pathway to ownership for working first-time buyers who rent at 80% of market rent (e.g. £827.16 per month for a two-bedroom property in Skellingthorpe) for up to five years while saving a deposit, with the option to purchase the property or convert to shared ownership. Annual rent increases capped at 1% + CPI.
• Homes for Sale (Outright) Outright sale of new-build and resale properties through direct marketing, Rightmove listings, and Right to Buy / Right to Acquire statutory schemes for eligible social housing tenants.
• Supported Living Specialist housing and on-site support for vulnerable populations, including dementia care (Myos House), housing for homeless or at-risk-of-homelessness individuals, and other tailored accommodation schemes.
• Retirement Living (Homes for Over 50s) Purpose-built rental housing for residents aged 50 and over across North Lincolnshire and West Lindsey, with retirement-living design and on-site support.
• Repairs and Maintenance Service In-house repairs and maintenance service with 24/7 emergency call-out, online repair booking through the My Home portal, and remote visual assistance technology enabling first-time-fix diagnosis. Available to all Ongo tenants.
• Garage and Storage Rental Rental of garages and storage spaces to tenants and private individuals at differentiated weekly rates (£8.85 for Ongo tenants; £10.62 for leasehold and private tenants), with a 7-day notice termination clause.
• Hales & Coultas Heating and Plumbing Commercial heating and plumbing services delivered by an Ongo subsidiary to individuals and businesses across the region, contributing to Ongo's repairs video content for tenants.
• Trent Valley Electrical Services Commercial electrical services delivered by an Ongo subsidiary (Constructionline Gold certified in 2026) to external customers as part of Ongo's commercial services division.
• Ashbridge Roofing Commercial roofing services delivered by an Ongo subsidiary to external customers across the region as part of Ongo's commercial services division.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 1,800 new homes developed since 2012
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

AI capability6 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Jackson LeesminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 27 May 2026Partnership to secure discounted legal support for ONGO colleagues and customers. Jackson Lees provides preferential rates on legal services for ONGO staff and tenants.
• Home Choice LincscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChoice-based lettings scheme for North Lincolnshire area through which ONGO properties are advertised and allocated to applicants.
• Doncaster Home ChoicecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChoice-based lettings scheme for Doncaster area through which ONGO properties are advertised and allocated to applicants.
• Bassetlaw HomeFindercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChoice-based lettings scheme for Bassetask area through which ONGO properties are advertised and allocated.
• West Lindsey Home ChoicecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChoice-based lettings scheme for West Lindsey area through which ONGO properties are advertised and allocated.
• Lincs Home FindercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChoice-based lettings scheme for North Kesteven area through which ONGO properties are advertised and allocated.
• TMP MortgagescoreTechnology or IntegrationNominated affordability assessors for shared ownership applicants who carry out financial assessments and budget planning to confirm affordability and provide mortgage options.
• National Energy ActionminorOthersPartnership providing free advice on saving money on utilities, benefits advice, and energy vouchers for eligible tenants.
• British Gas Energy TrustminorOthersProvides free advice on addressing energy debt with funding grants available to write off up to £2,000 of utility debt for eligible households.
• North Lincolnshire CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal transfer partner from 2007 when 10,000 homes were transferred from council to housing association. Ongoing partnership for housing allocation, homelessness support, and community investment.
• North Lincolnshire Homes (Historical)coreOthersPredecessor organisation created in 2007 following tenant vote. Rebranded as Ongo Homes in 2012 when the group structure was established.
• Trent Valley Electrical ServicescoreOthersONGO subsidiary company providing electrical services, awarded Constructionline Gold certification. Part of the group's commercial services offering.
• Hales & Coultas Heating and PlumbingcoreOthersONGO subsidiary providing heating and plumbing services to individuals and businesses in the region. Contributes to repairs videos for tenants.
• Ashbridge RoofingminorOthersONGO subsidiary providing roofing services as part of the group's commercial services offering.
• The ArccoreOthersPurpose-built community building in Westcliff, Scunthorpe operated by ONGO providing support, advice, café, activities, food bank voucher distribution, and winter warm space.
• The Viking CentreminorOthersCommunity centre and youth club in Barton with café facilities, operated by ONGO as part of community support services.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Yorkshire Housing: UK housing association operating across Yorkshire with a similar regional focus to ONGO. Comparable in scale and tenure mix, and directly relevant as Steve Ellard (ONGO's Director of Property) joined from Yorkshire Housing. Both serve overlapping geographies and tenant demographics.
• Longhurst Group: Mid-sized UK housing association with around 23,000 homes across the Midlands and East of England. Highly comparable business model — charitable structure, mixed tenure, in-house maintenance, community investment focus — making it one of the closest peers to ONGO.
• Platform Housing: UK housing association with c. 50,000 homes across the Midlands. Similar mid-tier scale to ONGO, comparable tenure mix, in-house repairs, and significant recent development activity — a relevant peer for benchmarking development capacity.
• LiveWest: South West-focused UK housing association with c. 40,000 homes. Comparable business model — charitable provider, mixed tenure, in-house repairs, community investment — making it a useful regional peer for ONGO's operating profile.
• Sovereign Housing Association: UK housing association with c. 60,000 homes across southern England. Similar offering — social rent, shared ownership, supported living, in-house development — making it a comparable peer for tenancy services, tenant engagement, and development strategy.
• Gentoo: UK housing association based in the North East (Sunderland area). Several ONGO senior leaders (e.g., Kevin Hornsby, Martin Phillips) began their careers at Gentoo. Comparable scale, geographic profile, and operating model.

Broad incumbents

• Sanctuary Housing: One of the largest UK housing associations (c. 100,000 homes). Comparable operating model — social housing, supported living, home ownership — but materially larger and national in scope, providing scale-based competitive context for ONGO.
• L&Q (London & Quadrant): Major UK housing association with a broad national portfolio of c. 110,000 homes. Directly comparable offerings — rental, shared ownership, supported living — and a relevant incumbent benchmark for development scale, capital access, and regulatory exposure.
• Clarion Housing: Largest UK housing association with c. 125,000 homes. Comparable in tenure mix and mission, and serves as the upper-bound benchmark on development pipeline, digital tenant services, and ESG positioning that ONGO is attempting to replicate at smaller scale.
• Home Group: Large UK housing association providing social and supported housing across the North of England. Comparable tenant base, supported living services, and regional concentration profile overlapping with ONGO's Lincolnshire/Yorkshire footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ongo-homes
• Facebookfacebook.com/OngoHomes
• Xx.com/ongoUK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ongo

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ONGO