Raven Housing Trust

What Raven Housing Trust does

Raven Housing Trust Limited is a charitable Industrial and Provident Society and registered social housing provider founded in 2002, headquartered in Redhill, Surrey, and operating across Surrey and Sussex in Southeast England. The organisation manages approximately 7,000 affordable homes, offering social and affordable rental housing (at up to 80% of market rent), shared ownership sales, leaseholder services, sheltered housing for residents aged 55 and over, and temporary accommodation for homeless households. Tenant allocations are routed through local authority housing registers, principally via Reigate and Banstead Borough Council.

The core digital product is the MyRaven self-service portal, available as a web application and via iOS and Android apps, which enables tenants to pay rent, request repairs, report anti-social behaviour, raise enquiries, and track cases (including a dedicated damp-and-mould workflow) on a 24/7 basis. Beyond housing management, Raven operates a portfolio of community-facing services: the Moneywise financial-advice programme, the Brighter Community Fund (grassroots grant-making), the Banstead Pantry community supermarket (launched 2024 with Good Company Surrey), and partnerships with charities including Stripey Stork, YMCA East Surrey, Loveworks Food Bank, and the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. Capital projects include the £200,000 Cromwell estate regeneration in partnership with Reigate and Banstead Borough Council (2024).

Raven's revenue is generated primarily through regulated affordable rents, supplemented by shared ownership receipts and leaseholder service charges. The organisation is not publicly traded, has no parent company or institutional shareholders, and operates as a self-governed charitable society under the supervision of the Regulator of Social Housing (registration L4334). It holds Investors in People Gold accreditation (2024) and has received twelve consecutive years of customer-service recognition (2023). Leadership is provided by Chief Executive Jonathan Higgs and an executive team including Directors of Customer Experience, Assets and Services, and a Net Zero Carbon Project Manager.

Name

Raven Housing Trust

Legal name

Raven Housing Trust Limited

Website

https://ravenht.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Raven Housing Trust is a charitable registered social housing provider founded in 2002 that manages around 7,000 affordable rental, shared ownership, and sheltered homes across Surrey and Sussex, allocating them through local authority housing registers and delivering community investment services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Housing

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422)

SIC

Real Estate (6500)

akta.pro primary industry

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

Keywords

• Social housing
• Affordable rentals
• Shared ownership
• Sheltered housing
• Housing association

Headquarters

HQ city

Redhill

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Social Housing Rents: Raven generates primary revenue through affordable rents charged to tenants in social housing properties. Rents are set at affordable levels (up to 80% of market rent) for properties across Surrey and Sussex.
2. Shared Ownership Sales: Revenue from partial ownership sales where customers buy a share of their home and pay rent on the remaining portion.
3. Leaseholder Service Charges: Service charges collected from leaseholders for maintenance and management services on properties where they hold full ownership.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Raven Housing Trust is a charitable housing association that provides and manages affordable rental homes, shared ownership properties, and sheltered housing for residents aged 55 and over across Surrey and Sussex. It also delivers property repairs, maintenance, tenancy management, and community support services (financial advice, employment support, community grants) to approximately 7,000 homes, supported by the MyRaven online self-service portal.

Product overview

Raven Housing Trust operates primarily as a social housing provider offering affordable rental and shared ownership homes across Surrey and Sussex. Its core customer-facing digital product is MyRaven, an online self-service portal enabling residents to manage rent payments, book repairs, report anti-social behaviour, and handle tenancy enquiries 24/7. Supporting services include Moneywise (financial advice), the Brighter Community Fund (grassroots grants), Banstead Pantry (affordable food access), and employment support programmes. The organisation also manages housing development projects and community investment initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MyRaven Customer Portal Online self-service portal and mobile apps (iOS and Android) allowing tenants to pay rent, request repairs, report anti-social behaviour, manage their tenancy, and track cases 24/7.
• Affordable Rental Homes Social and affordable rental tenancies (Assured and Assured Shorthold) on approximately 7,000 homes across Surrey and Sussex, with rents set at up to 80% of market rate.
• Shared Ownership Homes Part-buy, part-rent home ownership where customers purchase a share (typically 25-75%) of a property and pay subsidised rent on the remaining share held by Raven.
• Sheltered Housing (55+) Specialist housing with on-site support services and community activities for residents aged 55 and over, including schemes such as Portland House in Merstham.
• Leaseholder Management Services Ongoing property management, maintenance, and service charge administration for leaseholders who have bought their Raven home outright.
• Moneywise Financial Advice Free in-house financial advice service helping residents with Universal Credit, benefits applications, debt management, and energy advice.
• Brighter Community Fund Grant programme that funds grassroots community projects strengthening neighbourhoods and improving wellbeing across Raven's housing areas.
• Banstead Pantry Community supermarket offering members affordable groceries at £5 per shop (worth approximately £30-£35) in the SM7, KT18 and KT20 postcode areas.

Quantifiable outcome

• £200,000 invested in Cromwell estate regeneration with measurable improvements to pathways, parking, drainage and accessibility
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Stripey StorkminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 15 May 2026Local baby bank and charity receiving £5,000 grant from Raven's Brighter Community Fund for Teen-to-Teen project supporting disadvantaged teenagers with clothing and toiletries in Reigate and Banstead area.
• Swift Protection Association Banstead (SPAB)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 May 2026Conservation partnership for swift bird protection. Raven installed 10 nest boxes on three blocks of flats to support endangered swift colony. SPAB provides expertise and monitoring for the conservation project.
• Reigate and Banstead Borough CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 August 2024Ongoing partnership for regeneration projects including £200,000 Cromwell estate investment and community development initiatives. Council collaborates on housing development, community investment, and neighbourhood improvement programs across the borough.
• Good Company SurreycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 July 2024Partnership to establish Banstead Pantry community supermarket offering affordable groceries. Good Company Surrey operates the pantry providing food access to members for £5 per shop worth £30-35.
• Sureserve CompliancecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 13 September 2023Gas contractor providing annual gas safety checks and boiler repairs. Contact number 0330 002 1169. Sureserve works with Raven to ensure gas safety compliance and respond to emergency gas repairs.
• Loveworks Food BankminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 20 May 2020Raven provided a free van to Loveworks food banks enabling cheaper produce purchasing and additional food parcel deliveries during COVID-19 pandemic support efforts.
• St Mathew's FoodbankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFoodbank partnership during COVID-19 where Raven's trade team delivered up to 12 food parcels per session, 12 times per week to support vulnerable residents.
• YMCA East SurreyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerYouth homelessness charity supported through staff fundraising activities including sleep-out events that raised over £700 to support young people experiencing homelessness.
• AD ConstructionminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConstruction company that installed swift and sparrow nest boxes on Raven properties in Banstead as part of wildlife conservation initiative.
• Duke of Edinburgh Award SchememinorGTM or Marketing PartnerRecruitment pathway for teenage volunteers on Stripey Stork Teen-to-Teen project, enabling young people to gain volunteering experience as part of DofE award program.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Aster Group: Affordable housing provider with significant stock across Hampshire, Surrey, Dorset and the South West. Comparable in size, tenant demographic, and product mix including shared ownership and supported housing.
• Optivo: Large housing association operating across London and the South East, providing social rent, affordable rent, shared ownership, and supported housing. Comparable product portfolio and customer base.
• Hyde Group: UK housing association managing around 10,000 homes across London and the South East. Closely comparable to Raven in scale, geography, and product mix of general needs, shared ownership, and supported housing.
• Southern Housing: Large housing association operating across the South East, including Surrey and Sussex. Directly comparable in operating geography, regulatory structure (RSH-registered), and tenant offering.
• A2Dominion: Housing association with significant operations in Surrey and across southern England, offering similar affordable rent, shared ownership, and supported housing products to similar tenant demographics.

Broad incumbents

• Peabody: Major UK housing association and charitable benefit society operating over 66,000 homes, predominantly in London and the South East. Same charitable regulatory structure and tenant-facing product offering as Raven.
• Clarion Housing Group: Largest UK housing association managing over 125,000 homes nationally. Operates the same regulatory and product framework as Raven but at vastly greater scale, providing a sector benchmark and potential consolidation counterparty.
• L&Q Group: One of the UK's largest housing associations, managing over 110,000 homes across London and the South East. Directly comparable product portfolio and operating model, but at materially greater scale.

Emerging players

• Sage Housing: UK shared ownership specialist operating nationally. Comparable overlap with Raven's shared ownership product line, though Sage focuses exclusively on that segment rather than full general needs housing.

Regional players

• Saxon Weald: Housing association operating primarily in West Sussex, immediately adjacent to Raven's Surrey and Sussex footprint. Strong geographic adjacency and similar mid-sized scale make it a direct regional peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/RavenHousingTrust
• Facebookfacebook.com/RavenHousingTrust
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/raven-housing-trust
• Xx.com/RavenHT

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Raven Housing Trust