Cairn Housing Association
Cairn Housing Association is a Scottish registered charity and social landlord providing affordable rental housing and related support services to 5,075 households across 24-27 local authority areas in Scotland, spanning general needs through to extra-care assisted living.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1991
- HeadquartersEdinburgh, United Kingdom
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Cairn Housing Association does
Cairn Housing Association Ltd is a registered Scottish charity (No. SC016647) and company limited by guarantee (No. SP002335) operating as a Registered Social Landlord under the Scottish Housing Regulator (No. 218). Founded in 1991 and headquartered in Edinburgh, Cairn provides affordable rental housing across 24-27 local authority areas in Scotland, managing 5,075 homes in 55+ towns alongside 700+ factored properties. The organisation operates a vertically integrated model spanning the full lifecycle of social housing — from housing allocation through six Common Housing Registers and direct applications, to in-house maintenance via its HomeWorks team, to wrap-around support services including benefits advice, tenancy sustainment, Care & Repair adaptations, and a 24/7 self-service tenant portal (My Cairn).
The housing portfolio is segmented into five distinct product types: General Needs Housing (standard rental for ages 16+), Retirement Housing (18 properties for ages 50+ with part-time on-site coordinator), Sheltered Housing (for ages 60+ or 55+ with medical need, with daytime coordinator and 24-hour emergency call), Amenity Housing (self-contained adapted units for ages 50+), and Extra Care Housing at Madelvic Square, Edinburgh (around-the-clock care with medication administration and communal dining). This breadth — covering general needs through full-care assisted living under a single landlord — is distinctive within the Scottish sector.
Revenue is generated primarily through monthly tenant rent (sample rents £584.59-£601.62 pcm for retirement/sheltered housing), supplemented by property factoring fees, Care & Repair service charges, and income from its commercial subsidiary Cairn Homes and Services Ltd (trading as Cairn Living). Annual turnover exceeds £30 million (FY2026). The group structure comprises Cairn Housing Association Ltd as parent, ANCHO Limited as RSL subsidiary, and Cairn Homes and Services Ltd as commercial subsidiary. As a non-profit charity, all surpluses are reinvested into housing stock and services rather than distributed. Customer acquisition is through statutory and partnership channels rather than commercial marketing, with housing allocated on a points-based needs assessment and statutory duty to rehouse homeless applicants.
Cairn Housing Association firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cairn Housing Association
- Legal name
- Cairn Housing Association Ltd
- Website
- https://cairnha.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1991
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Cairn Housing Association is a Scottish registered charity and social landlord providing affordable rental housing and related support services to 5,075 households across 24-27 local authority areas in Scotland, spanning general needs through to extra-care assisted living.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cairn Housing Association industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Social Housing
- NAICS
- Continuing Care Retirement Communities (623311), Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly (6233), Community Housing Services (62422)
- SIC
- Operators Of Apartment Buildings (6513), Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Rental / Fee-for-Service CCRCs (HLADAEAB), Cooperative (Co-op) Housing Association Management (BPAJAHAC)
Keywords
Where Cairn Housing Association is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Edinburgh
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Cairn Housing Association business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Tenant Rent: Cairn generates revenue primarily through monthly rental payments from tenants across 5,075 homes. Rents are set at affordable levels as a social housing provider and registered charity.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | General Needs Housing - Affordable rent for ages 16+ |
| Subscription | Monthly | Retirement and Sheltered Housing - All-inclusive rent for ages 50-60+ |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Cairn Housing Association product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cairn Housing Association is a Scottish registered charity and social landlord that provides affordable rental housing. The association manages approximately 5,075 homes across 24-27 local authority areas in Scotland, offering general needs, retirement, sheltered, amenity, and extra care housing for individuals and families in housing need.
Product overview
Cairn Housing Association is a Scottish social landlord and charity offering affordable rental housing across 24-27 local authority areas in Scotland. The core product is its housing portfolio, which spans five distinct property types: General Needs Housing (standard housing for anyone 16+), Sheltered Housing (age 60+, with on-site coordinator and emergency support), Retirement Housing (age 50+ with part-time on-site coordinator), Amenity Housing (age 50+, adapted self-contained units without on-site support), and Extra Care Housing (Edinburgh-based, 24/7 on-site care). The primary digital service is the My Cairn online tenant portal, which provides 24/7 self-service access for rent payments, balance checks, repair reporting, complaint management, and document access. Cairn also operates an online Housing Application System with a companion Medical Assessment Form for applicants with health or disability-related housing needs. Supporting services include repairs and maintenance (via the HomeWorks team and R&J), Care & Repair adaptations, financial/benefits advice, and community funding programs. Cairn participates in Common Housing Registers across multiple Scottish local authority areas to streamline the application process.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Cairn Living: Trading name for Cairn Homes and Services Ltd, the commercial subsidiary of Cairn Housing Group providing property management and related services.
Products and services
- General Needs Housing
- Retirement Housing
- Sheltered Housing
- Amenity Housing
- Extra Care Housing
Quantifiable outcome
- Average repair completion time of 1.3 hours
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Cairn Housing Association
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Cairn Housing Association technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Cairn Housing Association partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.
- MP Group UKmajorPartnership delivering major energy efficiency upgrade for Aviemore homes at Munro Place. 30-home development received retrofit project replacing outdated heating systems with air source heat pumps and additional energy efficiency measures.
- Home Energy ScotlandcorePartnership with Home Energy Scotland (managed by Energy Saving Trust, funded by Scottish Government) to help tenants access free advice and support around energy use, heating, and reducing household bills. Provides impartial guidance to help people stay warmer in their homes.
- R&J (Maintenance Partners)coreR&J partners with Cairn's own HomeWorks maintenance team to deliver first-class repairs service to tenants.
- Pentland Community EnterprisesminorCommunity partner organization referenced on Cairn's website. Nature of partnership relates to community development and enterprise in the Pentland area.
- EdIndex (Edinburgh Common Housing Register)coreEdinburgh's Common Housing Register allowing single application for all local housing providers including Cairn.
- Fife Housing RegistercoreFife's Common Housing Register covering Burntisland, Cowdenbeath, Glenrothes, Kelty, Kirkcaldy, Rosyth.
- Highland Housing RegistercoreHighland's housing register covering 20 towns including Inverness, Aviemore, Dingwall, Dornoch, Thurso, Wick.
- North Ayrshire Housing RegistercoreHousing register covering 10 towns including Ardrossan, Beith, Dalry, Irvine, Kilbirnie, Kilwinning.
- North Lanarkshire Common Housing RegistercoreCommon housing register covering Airdrie, Coatbridge, Motherwell.
- HomeFinder (South Lanarkshire Common Housing Register)coreSouth Lanarkshire's common housing register covering Blantyre, Cambuslang, East Kilbride, Rutherglen.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Cairn Housing Association competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Wheatley Group / Wheatley Homes: Scotland's largest housing and care organisation, operating multiple RSLs (Glasgow Housing Association, Dunbartonshire, etc.). Directly comparable to Cairn as a Scottish social landlord offering general needs, retirement, sheltered, and amenity housing across many local authority areas.
- Fyne Homes: Smaller Scottish rural-focused housing association operating in Argyll & Bute — a region where Cairn also has presence (Lorne Campbell Court). Comparable in mission, rural operating context, and retirement housing provision.
- Sanctuary Housing Group: One of the largest UK housing associations, providing general needs and sheltered/retirement housing. Comparable to Cairn in operating a scaled, diversified affordable housing portfolio with retirement and supported housing products.
- Home Group: Large UK housing association providing general needs, supported, retirement, and extra care housing. Comparable to Cairn as a multi-segment affordable housing provider with retirement and care offerings.
- Link Group: Scottish housing association and care provider offering general needs, retirement, sheltered, and extra care housing across multiple local authorities. One of the closest like-for-like Scottish peers to Cairn.
- Osprey Housing: Scottish housing association operating across the Highlands and other regions, providing general needs and specialist housing. Comparable to Cairn's Highland footprint and multi-LA operating model.
- Bield Housing and Care: Scottish housing association specialising in retirement and sheltered housing for older people. Comparable to Cairn's retirement and sheltered housing portfolio across Scotland.
- Eildon Housing Association: Scottish Borders housing association providing general needs, retirement, and sheltered housing. Comparable to Cairn's Abbotsford Court (Galashiels) and other Borders-based sheltered housing provision.
- Dunedin Canmore (Wheatley): Scottish housing association within the Wheatley Group offering affordable rental housing, retirement, and supported housing. Direct peer to Cairn in the Scottish market with overlapping geography and product mix.
- Places for People: Major UK housing association and property management group providing affordable rental, retirement, and supported housing. Comparable scale and product breadth to Cairn, including retirement living and care elements.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Cairn Housing Association social profiles
Digital presenceCairn Housing Association financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cairn Housing Association leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Cairn Housing Association subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Cairn Housing Association funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cairn Housing Association 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 Cairn Housing Association
What does Cairn Housing Association do?
Cairn Housing Association is a Scottish registered charity and social landlord that provides affordable rental housing. The association manages approximately 5,075 homes across 24-27 local authority areas in Scotland, offering general needs, retirement, sheltered, amenity, and extra care housing for individuals and families in housing need.
Is Cairn Housing Association a public or private company?
Cairn Housing Association is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Cairn Housing Association founded?
Cairn Housing Association was founded in 1991. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Cairn Housing Association based?
Cairn Housing Association is headquartered in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Cairn Housing Association make money?
One revenue line is on record: tenant Rent.
Who are Cairn Housing Association's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Wheatley Group / Wheatley Homes, Fyne Homes, Sanctuary Housing Group, Home Group, Link Group, Osprey Housing, Bield Housing and Care, Eildon Housing Association, Dunedin Canmore (Wheatley) and Places for People.
Does Cairn Housing Association have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cairn Housing Association.
What industry is Cairn Housing Association in?
Cairn Housing Association's product category is Social Housing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGALAC, Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts), with a secondary code of HLADAEAB, Rental / Fee-for-Service CCRCs. Its NAICS code is 623311 and its SIC code is 6513.