HQN

What HQN does

HQN is a York-headquartered membership organisation and consultancy serving the UK social housing sector. Founded in 1997 by Alistair McIntosh and David Garland, the company builds, curates, and distributes professional knowledge for housing associations, local authorities, ALMOs, and smaller providers through subscription networks, training, events, consultancy, and media. Its core product is the Housing Quality Network and its Welsh counterpart HQN Cymru, supplemented by nine specialist networks (Asset Management, Equality Diversity and Inclusion, Health and Safety, Housing Finance, Housing Management, Leasehold, Rent Income Excellence, Residents', and Strategic) and six knowledge hubs (AI, Communications, Complaints, Estate Services, Leadership and Organisational Development, Rent Compliance). HQN Connect is a sub-brand serving providers with under 1,000 homes. The underlying technology is a web platform (hqnetwork.co.uk) hosting member portals, event management, a job board, training course delivery, and content publishing, rather than a proprietary SaaS product.

HQN operates a diversified revenue model anchored on annual subscription memberships that cover entire organisations, with ancillary revenue from training courses (capped at £1,500 per course across 220+ topics), bespoke consultancy engagements, event sponsorship and delegate fees (130+ events per year), partnership packages, and job vacancy advertising. Members receive expert briefings, virtual workshops, best practice groups, an Ask the Members service, and access to media properties including HQM magazine, HQN TV, and HQN podcasts. HQN's go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, leveraging the 1,000+ member base and the personal reputation of founder Alistair McIntosh, who remains active as Chief Executive and a sector spokesperson on governance, regulation, value for money, and stress testing.

The business is privately held with no parent company, no institutional investors, and no funding rounds disclosed. It serves over 1,000 housing associations, local authorities, and ALMOs across the UK, reaching 20,000+ sector contacts annually. HQN's competitive position rests on its 25 years of regulatory navigation, deep talent bench of 40+ trainers and 20+ expert associates, and an organisational membership model that embeds the company across housing provider staff functions. The firm has no public revenue, no AI-native technology, and no disclosed cap table.

Name

HQN

Legal name

HQN

Website

https://hqnetwork.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

HQN is a UK membership organisation serving 1,000+ housing associations, local authorities, and ALMOs through subscription networks, training, consultancy, events, and media focused on the social housing sector.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

York

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Network Membership Subscriptions: Organisations join HQN networks on a subscription basis. Membership covers the entire organisation, giving all staff access to expert briefings, virtual workshops, seminars, Ask the Members service, networking groups, and member-only website resources. Multiple network tiers are offered including the main Housing Quality Network, specialist networks (Asset Management, Housing Finance, Leasehold, etc.), and HQN Connect for smaller providers.
2. Training Courses: HQN delivers both in-house and public training courses across more than 220 topics relevant to housing professionals. Training covers areas including housing management, asset management, housing finance, governance, leasehold management, income collection, tenancy sustainment, resident engagement, neighbourhood management, and building safety. Pricing is tiered with fees up to £1,500 per course.
3. Consultancy Services: HQN provides hands-on, expert consultancy support to housing associations, councils, ALMOs and other organisations. Consultancy engagements are individually tailored and cover all aspects of the housing sector. The consultancy team includes over 15 named consultants with deep specialisations.
4. Events and Conferences: HQN runs over 130 events per year including its flagship annual conference, network conferences, virtual events, and partner workshops. Events generate revenue through delegate fees and sponsorship packages.
5. Job Vacancy Advertising: Members receive free job vacancy advertisements on the HQN website. Non-members can also submit vacancies, likely for a fee.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

HQN operates membership-based professional networks for the UK social housing sector, providing advice, tailored support and training to housing associations, councils and ALMOs. Core offerings include the Housing Quality Network (and Welsh variant Cymru) plus nine specialist networks, alongside paid consultancy services, 220+ training courses, and an events programme of 130+ annual gatherings.

Product overview

HQN (Housing Quality Network) is a membership-based professional services company for the social housing sector. The core offering consists of the Housing Quality Network and Housing Quality Network Cymru as the primary best practice networks, supplemented by nine specialist networks (Asset Management, EDI, Health and Safety, Housing Finance, Housing Management, Leasehold, Rent Income Excellence, Residents', and Strategic Networks). Membership includes access to five knowledge hubs (AI, Communications, Complaints, Estate Services, and Leadership & Organisational Development) bundled with the main network. HQN also operates HQN Connect as a sub-brand specifically for smaller housing providers with under 1,000 homes. Beyond networks, the portfolio includes training (220+ courses), consultancy services, events programming (130+ annually), a job vacancy board, and media properties including HQN TV, Podcasts, and Housing Quality Magazine. The company was founded in 1997 and serves over 1,000 housing associations, local authorities, and ALMOs across its networks.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HQM (Housing Quality Magazine): Quarterly housing magazine covering policy, regulation, governance, and sector news
• HQN TV
• HQN Podcasts
• Housing's Next Generation

Products and services

• Housing Quality Network

Quantifiable outcome

• Membership of more than 1,000 housing associations, local authorities and ALMOs across HQN's networks
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• allpaycoreGTM or Marketing Partnerallpay is listed as a partner on HQN's partners page. The partnership page states HQN offers a powerful promotional platform to raise partner profiles, with targeted niche audiences across 12 specialist networks. Partners benefit from ongoing networking at 200+ events per annum reaching over 20,000 contacts.
• BirkettscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBirketts LLP is listed as a partner on HQN's partners page. As a law firm specialising in housing, Birketts likely provides legal expertise to HQN members and participates in events, sponsorship, and marketing activities through the partnership programme.
• MobysoftcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMobysoft is listed as a partner on HQN's partners page. Mobysoft provides software/services to the housing sector and participates in HQN events and sponsorship to engage with HQN's 1,000+ member organisations.
• SureserveminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSureserve is listed as a partner on HQN's partners page. Sureserve (formerly Suresite/PowerDay) provides compliance and property services to housing providers. Their partnership with HQN provides access to the housing network for marketing and lead generation purposes.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• HouseMark: UK housing sector data, benchmarking, and analytics provider (now part of Place Group). Directly comparable to HQN as a subscription/membership-based organisation serving housing associations and local authorities with benchmarking, insight, and advisory services.
• Campbell Tickell: Executive search, governance, and consultancy firm specialising in the UK housing sector. Closely comparable to HQN's consultancy arm, serving housing associations, local authorities, and ALMOs with tailored advisory and leadership services.
• Place Group: Housing sector analytics and consultancy platform formed around HouseMark and other acquisitions. Comparable to HQN as a subscription/data/consultancy hybrid serving UK social landlords with benchmarking, insight, and advisory offerings.
• ARHM (Association of Retained and Housing Managers): Professional body for housing management organisations in the UK, offering training, events, and member services. Comparable to HQN's Housing Management Network and consultancy within a closely overlapping customer base.
• HACT: Housing sector innovation and research charity working with housing associations on value-for-money, resident insight, and social impact. Comparable to HQN's knowledge hub and consultancy work for housing providers focused on innovation and best practice.
• TPAS (Tenant Participation Advisory Service): UK organisation providing training, consultancy, and events focused on tenant engagement and resident involvement in social housing. Closely comparable to HQN's Residents' Network and consultancy offering within the same customer base.

Emerging players

• Inside Housing: Leading media title covering the UK social housing sector. Comparable to HQN's HQM magazine, HQN TV, and podcast properties in audience and editorial coverage, but media-only rather than membership/consultancy.

Others

• Mobysoft: UK social housing software provider and existing HQN partner. Comparable as an ecosystem participant — a technology vendor that uses HQN's events and member network for distribution, illustrating the partner-driven revenue model HQN can further scale.

Broad incumbents

• Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH): The professional body for the housing sector, offering membership, training, events, and policy advocacy. Overlaps with HQN on training, events, and member services but operates as a chartered professional body rather than a commercial consultancy.
• National Housing Federation (NHF): Trade body representing housing associations in England. Comparable to HQN's network and events offering for housing associations, but as a representative body rather than a commercial membership network; complements rather than directly competes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hqn_news
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/housing-quality-network

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 HQN