Aster Group
Aster Group is a UK housing association managing over 37,000 affordable homes across southern England and London, providing affordable rent, shared ownership, independent living, and extra care housing services to more than 75,000 customers through a regional operating model and a MyAster digital platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersDevizes, United Kingdom
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Aster Group does
Aster Group is a UK housing association headquartered in Devizes, Wiltshire, operating across central, southern, and south-west England plus London through a group of wholly-owned charitable registered societies and limited companies, including Aster Communities, Aster Living, Synergy Housing, East Boro Housing Trust, and Central and Cecil Housing Trust. The organisation manages more than 37,000 homes and serves over 75,000 customers, delivering affordable rented housing, shared ownership (part-buy-part-rent) homes, leasehold properties, independent living schemes, and extra care housing for older and vulnerable residents, alongside dedicated care and supported-living services via Enham Trust. In 2022/23 Aster delivered a record 1,312 new properties, the highest 12-month total in its history, and is executing a £571m property investment programme targeting 85% of homes at Energy Performance Certificate rating C or above by 2025.
The group's core digital product is the MyAster customer portal and accompanying iOS and Android mobile applications, which provide tenants and shared owners with 24/7 self-service access for rent payments, repair logging, account management, and document retrieval. MyAster authentication is integrated with the Aareon UK 360 housing management back-office system, and the organisation maintains nine Digital Learning Hubs that deliver IT skills training and employability support to residents. Distribution is multi-channel: a regional housing team model, a contact centre operating 08:00-17:00 weekdays, a sales team for shared ownership (branded in part as Hartstone by Aster), and digital channels including an advice hub, blog, podcast, and media centre.
Aster's revenue model combines recurring affordable rent and service charges from 37,000+ tenancies, one-time shared ownership first-tranche sales with optional staircasing, government grant funding from Homes England, and leaseholder service charges. The organisation supplements landlord activities with the Aster Foundation (a separate CIO running digital inclusion, financial support, and an 'inc.' social incubator programme), development partnerships with housebuilders (Stonebond, AJC Group, Acheson) and Community Land Trusts (Transition Homes, South Molton, Ilfracombe, Corfe Castle, Portland, Mortehoe & Woolacombe), and ancillary income from garage rentals and connected-living services. Customer segments are horizontally split across use cases — affordable housing seekers, tenants, shared owners and leaseholders, care customers, and neighbourhood service users — with no single enterprise customer concentration.
Aster Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Aster Group
- Legal name
- Aster Group Limited
- Website
- https://aster.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- Aster Group is a UK housing association managing over 37,000 affordable homes across southern England and London, providing affordable rent, shared ownership, independent living, and extra care housing services to more than 75,000 customers through a regional operating model and a MyAster digital platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Aster Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Affordable Housing
- NAICS
- Residential Property Managers (531311)
- SIC
- Operators Of Apartment Buildings (6513), Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Active Adult / Senior Community Association Management (BPAJAHAJ)
Keywords
Where Aster Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Devizes
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
Aster Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Affordable Rent: Rental income from tenants in affordable housing properties
- Shared Ownership Sales: Properties sold through shared ownership scheme where customers buy a percentage and pay rent on the remainder
- Government Funding: Funding from Homes England to support affordable housing development
- Service Charges: Charges to leaseholders and shared owners for communal repairs, maintenance, cleaning, insurance and management costs
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Aster Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Aster Group is a housing association providing affordable homes and related services across southern England and London. Its core offerings include affordable rental housing, shared ownership home purchases, supported and extra care housing for older and vulnerable residents, and in-house property repairs and maintenance. It serves more than 37,000 homes and supplements its landlord services with a charitable foundation focused on digital skills, employability, and community support.
Product overview
Aster Group is a housing association providing a comprehensive portfolio of housing and related services across southern England and London. The core product portfolio centres on three housing tenures: Shared Ownership (part-buy-part-rent homeownership), Affordable Rent (below-market rental), and full-ownership leasehold properties. These are supported by care services including Independent Living for older people and Extra Care for those requiring additional support. The primary digital product is MyAster (online portal and mobile app for iOS/Android), which serves as the unified access point for customers to manage rent payments, report repairs, update details, and access services. Additional services include the Aster Foundation (community initiatives), Connected Living (digital inclusion), the Advice Hub (information resources), and garage rentals. The Hartstone by Aster sub-brand identifies specific shared ownership developments.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Hartstone by Aster: A sub-brand offering shared ownership homes
- Aster Foundation
- Enham Trust
Products and services
- Shared Ownership Home ownership programme where customers purchase a share of a property (typically 25%–75%) and pay reduced rent on the remainder, with the option to staircase to full ownership over time. Targeted at people who cannot afford full market-price homes.
- Affordable Rent Rental homes offered at below-market rents, including general-needs housing for individuals and families and supported housing for older residents and people needing care.
- Independent Living Housing schemes for older people providing self-contained homes alongside access to support services so residents can continue to live independently.
- Extra Care Combined housing and personal-care service for residents who need more comprehensive support, providing care within their own home alongside their housing tenancy.
- Repairs and Maintenance Service Property maintenance service covering plumbing, heating, electrical and general repairs delivered by Aster's in-house trade teams for tenants, shared owners and leaseholders.
- MyAster Customer Portal Online self-serve portal for tenants and shared owners to pay rent, log repairs, update personal details, report anti-social behaviour and manage their account 24/7.
- MyAster Mobile App Native iOS and Android applications providing customers with on-the-go access to MyAster services including rent payments, repair logging and account management.
- Hartstone by Aster Sub-brand of Aster Group promoting specific shared ownership developments within the wider housing portfolio.
- Garages Garage rental service offering customers storage or parking space managed by Aster alongside their tenancies.
- Digital Learning Hubs Nine IT training centres across operating regions providing digital skills training, job search support and access to employment advisors for customers and local residents.
Quantifiable outcome
- Delivered 1,312 new properties in 2022/23 - highest ever total over 12 months
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Aster Group
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Aster Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature3 records
Aster Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- South Molton Community Land TrustcorePartnership to deliver 40 affordable homes for the local community in South Molton.
- Enham TrustcorePartnership for Wild about Enham biodiversity project at Enham Alamein village in Hampshire, including wildlife counting and nature-themed events.
- AJC GroupcorePartnership for affordable housing development in Dibden Purlieu, including rare 100% affordable housing site with 25 new homes.
- Corfe Castle Community Land TrustcorePartnership to find suitable land for delivery of new much-needed affordable homes in Dorset at Harmans Cross.
- Ilfracombe Community Land TrustcorePartnership to deliver 16 new social rent homes in Ilfracombe, designed specifically for local residents.
- StonebondcorePartnership with housebuilder Stonebond for development of 43-home affordable housing scheme near Horsham, West Sussex. Development includes 23 homes for affordable rent and 20 through shared ownership.
- Transition Homes Community Land TrustcorePartnership to deliver 39 new energy-efficient affordable homes at Clay Park, Dartington, near Totnes. Homes will be built to EPC A rating with air source heat pumps and solar panels. Project 16 years in development.
- AchesoncoreConstruction contractor appointed to build the 39 homes at Clay Park development in Dartington.
- Koori Limited / Redtale GroupcorePartnership for first-ever affordable housing development on Portland, involving Portland Community Land Trust and East Boro Housing Trust.
- Allied World Assurance Company (Europe) DACminorInsurance provider for buildings insurance covering structure of homes against fire, flooding, criminal damage, and subsidence for leaseholders.
- Arthur J Gallagher Insurance Brokers LimitedminorInsurance broker handling claims for buildings insurance. Contact: 01245 341223.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Aster Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Peabody: One of the largest UK housing associations with ~107,000 homes across London and the south east — directly overlaps Aster's southern England/London geography and operates the same affordable rent and shared ownership tenures.
- Clarion Housing: The UK's largest housing association with ~125,000 homes. Comparable to Aster as a charitable registered society providing affordable rent, shared ownership and supported housing at scale.
- L&Q: Large London and south-east-focused housing association (~110,000 homes) with shared ownership, affordable rent and supported living offers, directly comparable to Aster's product mix and geography.
- Notting Hill Genesis: Merger of Notting Hill Housing and Genesis Housing Association — ~66,000 homes concentrated in London and the home counties. Directly comparable to Aster's south-of-England affordable housing focus with shared ownership and supported housing.
Direct peers
- Sovereign Housing Association: Large housing association (~60,000 homes) operating across southern and south-west England with a similar mix of affordable rent, shared ownership and market rent — the closest direct regional peer to Aster.
- LiveWest: South-west England housing association (~40,000 homes) overlapping Aster's Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset footprint; similar product mix including affordable rent, shared ownership and rural community-led housing.
- Hyde Group: Large UK housing association (~58,000 homes) offering affordable rent, shared ownership and supported housing across London and southern counties — comparable scale and tenure mix to Aster.
- Guinness Partnership: National housing association (~66,000 homes) with significant southern England presence providing general needs, sheltered/extra care housing and shared ownership — directly comparable product set.
- Optivo: Housing association (~44,000 homes) operating across London, the south east and the Midlands with affordable rent, shared ownership and independent living services — comparable size and service mix.
- Stonewater: UK housing association (~40,000 homes) providing affordable rent, shared ownership and retirement living; similar geographic spread across southern England and comparable scale to Aster.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Aster Group social profiles
Digital presenceAster Group compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Aster Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Aster Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Aster Group subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries16 records
Aster Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Aster Group 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 Aster Group
What does Aster Group do?
Aster Group is a housing association providing affordable homes and related services across southern England and London. Its core offerings include affordable rental housing, shared ownership home purchases, supported and extra care housing for older and vulnerable residents, and in-house property repairs and maintenance. It serves more than 37,000 homes and supplements its landlord services with a charitable foundation focused on digital skills, employability, and community support.
Is Aster Group a public or private company?
Aster Group is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Aster Group founded?
Aster Group was founded in -1. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Aster Group based?
Aster Group is headquartered in Devizes, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Aster Group make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Affordable Rent is the primary driver. The others are shared Ownership Sales, government Funding and service Charges.
Who are Aster Group's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Peabody, Clarion Housing, L&Q and Notting Hill Genesis. Direct peers are Sovereign Housing Association, LiveWest, Hyde Group, Guinness Partnership, Optivo and Stonewater.
Does Aster Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Aster Group.
What industry is Aster Group in?
Aster Group's product category is Affordable Housing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGALAC, Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts), with a secondary code of BPAJAHAJ, Active Adult / Senior Community Association Management. Its NAICS code is 531311 and its SIC code is 6513.