believe housing
Believe Housing is a not-for-profit housing association managing approximately 18,000 affordable homes across County Durham and the North East of England, offering social rent, affordable rent, Rent to Buy, and Shared Ownership tenures through five council-led lettings partnerships.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersDurham, United Kingdom
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What believe housing does
Believe Housing Limited is a not-for-profit housing association registered as a Community Benefit Society and exempt charity, operating primarily across County Durham and the wider North East of England (Sunderland, Darlington, Hartlepool, Tees Valley). Formed through the 2015 stock transfer from Durham County Council, the organization owns and manages a portfolio of approximately 18,000 homes, serving social housing seekers, affordable rent tenants, first-time buyers using the Rent to Buy and Shared Ownership schemes, and armed forces veterans under its Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award commitments. Revenue is generated primarily through social and affordable rental income, supplemented by one-off Shared Ownership sales, a five-year Rent to Buy discount programme, and Homes England grant funding for new build development.
The organization's product surface is built around standardized energy-efficient construction delivered through developer partnerships rather than in-house building. All new developments are specified with air source heat pumps, solar PV panels, and electric vehicle charging points, and selected homes are fitted with smart sensors capturing temperature, humidity, and air-quality data. Customer-facing technology consists of a web portal and mobile application providing 24/7 access to rent payment, repair reporting, and tenancy management, alongside a tiered repairs service (24-hour emergency, 28-day appointable, 60-day planned) and supplementary services including money guidance, employability training, and community investment grants.
Distribution runs through choice-based lettings partnerships with five regional councils (Durham Key Options, Sunderland, Darlington, Hartlepool, Tees Valley Home Finder) where housing register applicants bid for properties based on need. Strategic construction capacity is sourced externally from Linden Homes, Miller Homes, Bellway, and the Hellens Group/Lovell consortium, enabling pipeline expansion without vertical integration into housebuilding. Headcount sits in the 501-1,000 range and annual turnover exceeds the £36m Modern Slavery Act reporting threshold for the financial year ending 31 March 2025.
believe housing firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- believe housing
- Legal name
- Believe Housing Limited
- Website
- https://believehousing.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Believe Housing is a not-for-profit housing association managing approximately 18,000 affordable homes across County Durham and the North East of England, offering social rent, affordable rent, Rent to Buy, and Shared Ownership tenures through five council-led lettings partnerships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
believe housing industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Social and Affordable Housing Services
- NAICS
- Residential Property Managers (531311), Lessors of Residential Buildings and Dwellings (53111)
- SIC
- Operators Of Apartment Buildings (6513)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Affordable & Subsidized Housing Property Management (LIHTC, Section 8) (BPAJAFAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Residential Affordable Housing Development & Construction (IMAFABAI), Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)
Keywords
Where believe housing is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Durham
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
believe housing business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations
Revenue model
- Social Housing Rents: Rental income from social and affordable housing properties. Properties are let at below market rent levels - affordable rent set at up to 80% of local market rent, social rent based on formula set by government.
- Shared Ownership Property Sales: Selling percentage shares of properties (typically 10-75%) to buyers who pay rent on remaining share. Allows staircase purchasing to 100% ownership over time.
- Rent to Buy: Rent-to-buy scheme where tenants rent at 20% below market rate for five years with option to purchase. Rental income during initial period plus potential sale proceeds.
- Grant Funding: Annual turnover exceeds £36m threshold for Modern Slavery Act reporting. Receives grant funding from Homes England for new build programmes with transparency reporting requirements.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Affordable Rent - Up to 80% of market rent |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Shared Ownership - 10-75% share purchase |
| Subscription | Monthly | Rent to Buy - 20% below market rent for 5 years |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | New build property prices from £225,000 to £310,000 |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels8 records
believe housing product offering
Product offeringCore offering
believe housing is a not-for-profit housing association providing affordable rental and ownership homes across County Durham, Sunderland, Darlington, Hartlepool, and Tees Valley. It builds and manages approximately 18,000 homes through social rent, affordable rent, Rent to Buy, and Shared Ownership schemes, while delivering property repairs, tenancy management, money guidance, and community investment services to its residents.
Product overview
Believe Housing is a County Durham housing association providing affordable homes through multiple tenure options including social rent, affordable rent, Rent to Buy, and shared ownership. Their product portfolio consists of property development projects across County Durham (Bishops Park, Fellside Gardens, Whitworth Chase, Bevan Square, The Old Foundry, The Village, and Riverside Haven) offering various house types from bungalows to four-bedroom homes with energy-efficient features. Supporting services include repairs and maintenance, a customer portal and app for tenancy management, money guidance, community funding, employability support, DIY guides, garage rentals, and home exchange schemes. The offering functions as a unified affordable housing service platform with both property management and resident support capabilities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Affordable Housing Services
- Bishops Park Development
- Fellside Gardens Development
- Whitworth Chase Development
- Bevan Square Development
- The Old Foundry Development
- The Village Development
- Riverside Haven Development
- Rent to Buy Scheme
- Shared Ownership
- Garage Rentals
- Repairs and Maintenance Service
- Customer Portal and Mobile App
- Money Guidance and Support
- Community Funding Programme
- Employability and Learning
- Mutual Exchange Service
- Right to Buy and Right to Acquire
Quantifiable outcome
- 18,000 homes continuously assessed for condition
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use believe housing
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
believe housing technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
believe housing partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered significant and core.
- Coalfields Regeneration TrustsignificantCharity supporting former mining communities. Believe Housing provided £5,114 community grant and peppercorn £5 lease for CRT Seaham Hub. Partnership supporting skills and employability for residents.
- Durham Key OptionscorePrimary choice-based lettings partnership for County Durham. All available homes advertised through this platform where customers register and bid for properties based on housing need.
- Sunderland City CouncilcoreHousing allocation partnership for Sunderland area. Believe Housing properties in Sunderland advertised through council housing portal.
- Darlington Borough CouncilcoreHousing allocation partnership for Darlington. Properties advertised through council housing finding website.
- Hartlepool Borough CouncilcoreHousing allocation partnership for Hartlepool area through Hartlepool Homesearch website.
- Tees Valley Home FindercoreHousing allocation partnership covering Middlesbrough, Redcar, and Stockton-on-Tees through Housing Jigsaw platform.
- Hellens GroupcoreDeveloper partner appointing housebuilders for Burtree Garden Village development. Believe Housing receiving 115 affordable homes from 261-home scheme.
- Northern Housing ConsortiumsignificantNot-for-profit membership organization. Believe Housing participates in Unlocking Success Bursary programme supporting tenants with education and training costs up to £500.
- Linden HomescoreDeveloper partner building Whitworth Chase (Spennymoor) and Bishops Park (Bishop Auckland) developments. Believe Housing offering affordable rent and Rent to Buy properties from these developments.
- Miller HomescoreDeveloper partner building Fellside Gardens in Consett. Development includes three-bedroom homes for affordable rent, rent to buy, and shared ownership.
- BellwaycoreDeveloper partner building The Old Foundry development in Wolsingham. Two-bedroom homes available for affordable rent, social rent, and shared ownership.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
believe housing competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
believe housing social profiles
Digital presencebelieve housing financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
believe housing leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
believe housing funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
believe housing M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about believe housing
What does believe housing do?
believe housing is a not-for-profit housing association providing affordable rental and ownership homes across County Durham, Sunderland, Darlington, Hartlepool, and Tees Valley. It builds and manages approximately 18,000 homes through social rent, affordable rent, Rent to Buy, and Shared Ownership schemes, while delivering property repairs, tenancy management, money guidance, and community investment services to its residents.
Is believe housing a public or private company?
believe housing is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was believe housing founded?
believe housing was founded in 2015. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is believe housing based?
believe housing is headquartered in Durham, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does believe housing make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Social Housing Rents are the primary driver. The others are shared Ownership Property Sales, rent to Buy and grant Funding.
Does believe housing have an API?
No public API is recorded for believe housing.
What industry is believe housing in?
believe housing's product category is Social and Affordable Housing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAJAFAD, Affordable & Subsidized Housing Property Management (LIHTC, Section 8), with a secondary code of IMAFABAI, Residential Affordable Housing Development & Construction. Its NAICS code is 531311 and its SIC code is 6513.