Barbon Insurance Group
Barbon Insurance Group (trading as HomeLet) is the UK's largest tenant referencing and specialist lettings insurance provider, serving over 3,700 letting agents, landlords, and tenants with same-day referencing, Rent Protection, and landlord/tenant insurance products.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1993
- HeadquartersLincoln, United Kingdom
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Barbon Insurance Group does
Barbon Insurance Group Limited, trading as HomeLet, is a UK-regulated specialist in tenant referencing and lettings insurance, headquartered in Lincoln with approximately 300 team members. Founded in 1993, the company operates a platform-plus-modules architecture spanning Tenant Referencing (same-day intelligent screening with fraud detection), Rent Protection / Rent Guarantee, comprehensive Landlord Insurance (buildings, contents, and rent guarantee), Tenant Contents and Liability Insurance, HomeLet Guarantor, Income Generation Services, and Void & Notifications. Its technology stack includes a self-service web portal (My HomeLet), a tenant application tracker, a dedicated agent platform (Connect), and a data product (HomeLet Rental Index) that aggregates rental market data from its high-volume referencing operation.
The company serves three primary segments in the UK private rental sector: letting agents (its core B2B channel), landlords, and tenants. It monetises through a combination of transaction fees on referencing, recurring premiums on insurance products (FCA-regulated under registration 308724), and affiliate commissions paid by HomeLet to letting agents for value-added services. Distribution is multi-channel, combining self-service digital quotes, inside sales via phone, and field-based Customer Development Managers dedicated to enterprise agent accounts. The customer base exceeds 3,700 letting agents, processing over 1,200 tenant references per day, with named relationships including Hunters, Belvoir, CJ Hole, and Ellis & Co. Barbon Insurance Group operates as a subsidiary within PIB Group, a UK insurance intermediary conglomerate, and has a single UK office serving a nationwide market.
Barbon Insurance Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Barbon Insurance Group
- Legal name
- Barbon Insurance Group Limited
- Website
- https://barbon.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1993
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Barbon Insurance Group (trading as HomeLet) is the UK's largest tenant referencing and specialist lettings insurance provider, serving over 3,700 letting agents, landlords, and tenants with same-day referencing, Rent Protection, and landlord/tenant insurance products.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Barbon Insurance Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lincoln
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Barbon Insurance Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Insurance Products: Sale of specialist insurance products including landlord insurance (buildings, contents), tenant contents insurance, tenants liability insurance, and rent guarantee policies. Insurance distribution authorised and regulated by FCA.
- Tenant Referencing Services: Tenant referencing and screening services provided to letting agents and landlords. Commission paid to agents from insurance products sold through referencing.
- Agent Commission: HomeLet pays commission to letting agents for value-added services and insurance products placed through their platform.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Barbon Insurance Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
HomeLet (a trading name of Barbon Insurance Group Limited) is a UK provider of tenant referencing and specialist lettings insurance products for the private rental sector. It offers same-day intelligent tenant referencing with fraud detection, rent guarantee/rent protection, landlord buildings and contents insurance, tenant contents and liability insurance, and a HomeLet Guarantor service, distributed through self-service digital portals, phone support, dedicated Customer Development Managers, and a network of more than 3,700 letting agents.
Product overview
HomeLet operates as a platform-plus-modules architecture offering tenant referencing and specialist lettings insurance products for the private rental sector. The core offerings include Tenant Referencing (intelligent same-day referencing with fraud detection), Rent Protection/Rent Guarantee insurance, and comprehensive Landlord Insurance (Buildings, Contents, and Rent Guarantee). Additional modules include HomeLet Guarantor, Income Generation Services, Void & Notifications, and Tenant Contents Insurance with liability coverage. The product portfolio serves three customer segments: letting agents (referencing and income services), landlords (property insurance), and tenants (contents and liability insurance).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Tenant Referencing Intelligent tenant referencing service for letting agents that processes credit checks, identity verification, and affordability assessments, with a same-day option and fraud detection, to help agents make informed decisions about prospective tenants.
- Rent Protection / Rent Guarantee
- Landlord Insurance
- Tenant Contents Insurance
- Tenants Liability Insurance
- HomeLet Guarantor
- Landlord Buildings Insurance
- Landlord Contents Insurance
- Income Generation Services for Letting Agents
- Void & Notifications Service
- HomeLet Rental Index
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 3,700 letting agents use HomeLet to increase their revenue
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Barbon Insurance Group
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Barbon Insurance Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Barbon Insurance Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- PIB GroupcoreHomeLet is part of the PIB Group (Paragon Insurance Group). PIB Group is a UK-based insurance broker group. HomeLet is a trading name of Barbon Insurance Group Limited, part of the PIB Group.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Barbon Insurance Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Goodlord: UK letting agent platform offering tenant referencing, insurance, and contract management bundled into a single workflow for letting agents — directly competing with HomeLet on agent-channel distribution and product range.
- LetMC: UK letting and estate agent management software provider with tenant referencing integration; competes in the same agent-channel ecosystem by embedding referencing into broader practice management.
- PayProp: UK rental payment and agency platform providing tenant screening, automated payments, and workflow tools to letting agents, increasingly overlapping with HomeLet's referencing and ancillary insurance products.
Emerging players
- Canopy: Rent guarantee and tenant screening specialist operating in the UK PRS, offering embedded protection products directly against HomeLet's Rent Protection and tenant referencing offerings.
Others
- Rightmove: UK's largest property portal serving both sales and lettings agents; comparable in serving the UK letting agent customer base that HomeLet relies on for distribution, despite operating in property advertising rather than insurance/referencing.
- Open GI: UK insurance software and data platform serving brokers and intermediaries; adjacent technology provider that powers part of the broader insurance distribution stack in which HomeLet operates.
Broad incumbents
- Howden Group Holdings: Major UK and international insurance broker operating broadly across specialist and commercial lines; overlaps with HomeLet's landlord and rent guarantee insurance distribution under a much wider portfolio.
- Aon plc: Global insurance and reinsurance broker with substantial UK footprint across personal lines, commercial, and specialty — a broad incumbent against which HomeLet competes for landlord and tenant insurance wallets.
- Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Global insurance broker with extensive UK retail broking operations; comparable parent-company peer to PIB Group and competes for specialist distribution and landlord insurance mandates.
- Marsha McLennan (Marsh): Global insurance broker and risk adviser with UK personal lines and specialty operations; competes at the broader insurance distribution layer and can contest HomeLet's specialist landlord relationships.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Barbon Insurance Group social profiles
Digital presenceBarbon Insurance Group compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Barbon Insurance Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Barbon Insurance Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Barbon Insurance Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Barbon Insurance Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Barbon Insurance Group
What does Barbon Insurance Group do?
HomeLet (a trading name of Barbon Insurance Group Limited) is a UK provider of tenant referencing and specialist lettings insurance products for the private rental sector. It offers same-day intelligent tenant referencing with fraud detection, rent guarantee/rent protection, landlord buildings and contents insurance, tenant contents and liability insurance, and a HomeLet Guarantor service, distributed through self-service digital portals, phone support, dedicated Customer Development Managers, and a network of more than 3,700 letting agents.
Is Barbon Insurance Group a public or private company?
Barbon Insurance Group is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Barbon Insurance Group founded?
Barbon Insurance Group was founded in 1993. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Barbon Insurance Group based?
Barbon Insurance Group is headquartered in Lincoln, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Barbon Insurance Group make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Insurance Products are the primary driver. The others are tenant Referencing Services and agent Commission.
Who are Barbon Insurance Group's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Goodlord, LetMC and PayProp. Canopy is listed as an emerging player. Others are Rightmove and Open GI. Broad incumbents are Howden Group Holdings, Aon plc, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. and Marsha McLennan (Marsh).
Does Barbon Insurance Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Barbon Insurance Group.