Essential Living
Essential Living is a London-based build-to-rent property developer and landlord operating 539 purpose-built rental apartments across four developments in Islington, Bethnal Green, Greenwich, and Maidenhead, serving London renters through a direct-to-consumer model with professional on-site management.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Essential Living does
Essential Living Management Limited is a London-based build-to-rent (BTR) property developer and operator founded in 2012. The company develops and manages purpose-built rental apartment schemes targeted at London renters, with a portfolio of four developments — Vantage Point (Islington), Dressage Court (Bethnal Green), Union Wharf (Greenwich), and Berkshire House (Maidenhead) — totaling 539 apartments ranging from studios to three-bedroom units at rents of approximately £2,500 to £3,875 per calendar month.
The business operates a vertically integrated, direct-to-consumer rental model. Prospective tenants search apartments, book viewings, complete referencing, and sign tenancies through the company's own website and on-site teams, with no intermediaries. The technology stack supporting the resident lifecycle is built on third-party SaaS: RealPage's Active Building App for resident account management, Stripe for payment processing, Homeppl for referencing and right-to-rent checks, Curve IT for building-wide internet, Align Fitness for on-site gyms, and HubSpot for marketing automation. All deposits are registered with the Tenancy Deposit Scheme in accordance with the Housing Act 2004. The company holds a UK registered trademark on the Essential Living brand and maintains a 4.68/5 rating on HomeViews across 868 reviews.
Revenue is generated almost entirely from recurring monthly residential rental income under 12–36 month tenancies, supplemented by ancillary fees for parking permits, pet permits, storage, and amenity bookings. A refer-a-friend scheme provides £750 rent credits to both parties on successful move-in. Distribution is single-geography (London and Thames Valley), with no evidence of third-party property management, institutional capital raises, or new development pipeline in the available data. The company is privately held as a private limited company registered in England and Wales, with Jeremy Baker serving as Chief Executive Officer.
Essential Living firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Essential Living
- Legal name
- Essential Living Management Limited
- Website
- https://essentialliving.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Essential Living is a London-based build-to-rent property developer and landlord operating 539 purpose-built rental apartments across four developments in Islington, Bethnal Green, Greenwich, and Maidenhead, serving London renters through a direct-to-consumer model with professional on-site management.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Essential Living is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices5 records
Markets served
Essential Living business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Residential Rental Income: Monthly rental payments from tenants across four London developments. Rents range from approximately £2,500 to £3,875 per calendar month depending on apartment size and location. Revenue is recurring as tenants sign 12-36 month tenancies with potential renewals.
- Holding Deposits and Tenancy Deposits: Collects £350 holding deposit to secure an apartment during the application process, which contributes to the full deposit upon successful tenancy. Deposits are registered with the Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS) as required by law.
- Ancillary Services: Additional revenue from services such as parking permits, pet permits, storage cupboards, amenity space bookings, and private event bookings within the developments.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Studio apartments starting from approximately £2,500 PCM |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Referral incentive of £750 per party |
| Subscription | One time/ perpetual license | Holding deposit of £350 |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Essential Living product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Essential Living develops, owns, and operates purpose-built residential rental apartment buildings in London under a build-to-rent model, currently marketing 539 studio, 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom units across four developments (Vantage Point in Islington, Dressage Court in Bethnal Green, Berkshire House in Maidenhead, and Union Wharf in Greenwich). Tenants sign 12–36 month tenancies with professionally managed on-site teams providing 24/7 support, maintenance, parcel collection, and amenities such as gyms, rooftop terraces, lounges, and event spaces, with monthly rents ranging from approximately £2,500 to £3,875 per calendar month.
Product overview
Essential Living is a London-based build-to-rent property developer offering professionally managed luxury rental apartments. The portfolio consists of four distinct residential developments across London: Vantage Point (Islington), Dressage Court (Bethnal Green), Berkshire House (Maidenhead), and Union Wharf (Greenwich). Each development features studio, 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, and 3-bedroom apartments with amenities including gyms, concierge services, roof terraces, and pet-friendly policies. The company operates approximately 539 apartments and provides resident services through its Active Building App (powered by RealPage). A referral program offers £750 rent credits to both referrers and referrals.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Vantage Point Luxury rental apartments in Islington, North London featuring a 17th-floor gym operated by Align Fitness, concierge services, and proximity to Archway station. Available in studio, 1-bedroom, and 2-bedroom layouts.
- Dressage Court Luxury rental apartments in Bethnal Green, East London offering private gym facilities, rooftop terrace, and contemporary interiors across 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom layouts.
- Berkshire House Luxury rental apartments in Maidenhead, offering spacious living in a suburban Thames Valley location with access to London's Elizabeth line, in studio, 1-bedroom, and 2-bedroom configurations.
- Union Wharf Flagship luxury rental development in Greenwich, South London featuring a 23rd-floor gym, roof terrace with panoramic views, games rooms, and 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom apartments in a riverside location near Cutty Sark.
- Refer a Friend Scheme Word-of-mouth referral program offering existing residents £750 in rent credit and new referred tenants £750 in rent credit upon successful move-in, available across all four Essential Living London developments.
Companies that use Essential Living
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Essential Living technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration12 records
Essential Living partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- RealPagecoreRealPage provides the Active Building App platform that enables residents to access billing information, purchase add-ons, and manage personal details. This is a core operational technology partnership for resident management.
- HomepplcoreHomeppl provides reference checking and right-to-rent verification services for prospective tenants. Essential partnership for tenancy vetting and compliance with UK immigration laws.
- Curve ITcoreCurve IT provides IT services including building-wide high-speed internet access (HSIA) to residents. Collects device MAC addresses, names, apartment numbers, and package selections.
- StripecoreStripe provides secure payment processing services including rent collection and refund processing. Residents provide debit card information directly to Stripe.
- Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS)coreTDS is used to register tenancy deposits in accordance with UK law (Housing Act 2004). This is a regulatory requirement for protecting deposits on assured shorthold tenancies.
- Align FitnesscoreAlign Fitness provides gym services in the residential buildings. They operate fitness facilities at Vantage Point (17th floor) and other developments, with gyms open to residents.
- Facebook/Instagram (Meta)minorMeta platforms are used for social media marketing, custom audience targeting, and advertising. Essential Living maintains an active presence and runs paid social campaigns.
- Local CouncilscoreThe company liaises with local councils for council tax administration. They notify councils of tenant move-in dates and provide names and addresses to assist with council tax account setup.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Essential Living competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Customer concentration
Essential Living social profiles
Digital presenceEssential Living compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Essential Living financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Essential Living leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Essential Living funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Essential Living 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 Essential Living
What does Essential Living do?
Essential Living develops, owns, and operates purpose-built residential rental apartment buildings in London under a build-to-rent model, currently marketing 539 studio, 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom units across four developments (Vantage Point in Islington, Dressage Court in Bethnal Green, Berkshire House in Maidenhead, and Union Wharf in Greenwich). Tenants sign 12–36 month tenancies with professionally managed on-site teams providing 24/7 support, maintenance, parcel collection, and amenities such as gyms, rooftop terraces, lounges, and event spaces, with monthly rents ranging from approximately £2,500 to £3,875 per calendar month.
Is Essential Living a public or private company?
Essential Living is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Essential Living founded?
Essential Living was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Essential Living based?
Essential Living is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Essential Living make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Residential Rental Income is the primary driver. The others are holding Deposits and Tenancy Deposits and ancillary Services.
Does Essential Living have an API?
No public API is recorded for Essential Living.