Dandara Living
Dandara Living (DBA Colby River) is a UK build-to-rent operator managing professionally run apartments, family homes, and student accommodation across 11+ cities. It serves city professionals, families, and students through a direct-to-consumer rental model with bundled amenities and community programming.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersAltrincham, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Dandara Living does
Dandara Living, operating under the brand 'Colby River', is a UK-based build-to-rent (BTR) residential property company headquartered in Altrincham, England. Founded in 2016, the company develops and manages professionally run rental homes across three distinct product lines: city-center apartments targeting working professionals, family houses in well-connected suburban locations, and purpose-built student accommodation near major university campuses. Its portfolio spans at least 11 UK cities including Liverpool, Birmingham, Manchester, Aberdeen, Bedfordshire, Milton Keynes, Cambridge, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Exeter, and Leeds, with a total unit count below 3,000 homes (per its 2024 Homeviews classification).
The company's core offering centers on professionally managed residential developments with bundled amenities including gyms, co-working spaces, lounges, courtyard gardens, on-site support teams, broadband, parcel handling, and parking. Differentiators include pet-friendly policies at select locations, structured community programming (events, social clubs, charity partnerships), and a multi-channel resident-acquisition engine spanning a direct website, YouTube, Vimeo, HomeViews reviews (1,800+ reviews at 4.85 stars), and referral/cashback programs. Pricing is subscription-style monthly rental, ranging from £785 for studios to £2,080 for premium 3-bedroom townhouses, with the company positioned in the mid-market segment.
Revenue is generated through recurring monthly rental income from tenants, with no disclosed enterprise or B2B contracts. The company operates a direct-to-consumer go-to-market model with no intermediated letting agents in the core flow. It is privately held within the Colby River Group corporate structure, with no disclosed venture capital, private equity, or public-market backing. Recent strategic emphasis has been on geographic expansion, family-home and student-accommodation product launches (notably the Colby River Student sub-brand in July 2026), and recognition through consecutive What House Awards Gold wins for Best BTR Developer in 2024 and 2025.
Dandara Living firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Dandara Living
- Legal name
- Colby River Property Management Limited
- Website
- https://dandaraliving.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Dandara Living (DBA Colby River) is a UK build-to-rent operator managing professionally run apartments, family homes, and student accommodation across 11+ cities. It serves city professionals, families, and students through a direct-to-consumer rental model with bundled amenities and community programming.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Dandara Living industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Build-to-Rent Residential Housing
- NAICS
- Lessors of Real Estate (5311), Real Estate and Rental and Leasing (53)
- SIC
- Real Estate Operators (No Developers) & Lessors (6510), Operators Of Apartment Buildings (6513)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Co-Living Property Management (BPAJAFAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Student Housing Property Management & Leasing Operators (THAMAGAK), Student-Focused Co-Living (Flexible, Community-Led) (THAMAGAI), Student/Academic Serviced Residences (THAGAEAF)
Keywords
Where Dandara Living is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Altrincham
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Dandara Living business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Residential Rental Income: The company generates recurring monthly rental revenue from tenants across its portfolio of residential developments. Rent is charged on a per-apartment/per-house basis with pricing varying by location, unit size, and development amenities.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Studio apartments - lowest price point |
| Subscription | Monthly | 1 to 2 bedroom apartments - mid-range options |
| Subscription | Monthly | 2 to 4 bedroom family homes - larger units |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Dandara Living product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Dandara Living operates a portfolio of professionally managed residential rental developments across the UK, including city apartments, family homes, and purpose-built student accommodation. Units are leased directly to tenants on monthly recurring contracts with pricing varying by location, size, and development amenities, and supported by on-site teams, shared facilities (gyms, lounges, co-working spaces), and community programming.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Baltic Yard | Liverpool (City Apartments) A collection of 1-3 bedroom apartments in Liverpool rented at £1,025-£1,830 per month, offering shared lounge, courtyard and garden terrace, co-working space, and a residents' gym for city professionals.
- Aston Place | Birmingham (City Apartments) A rental development of studio to 2 bedroom apartments in Birmingham priced £980-£1,290 per month, featuring residents' lounge, bookable private event room, on-site parking, and a well-equipped residents' gym with virtual fitness studio.
- Botanica | Manchester (City Apartments & Townhouses) A rental development in Manchester's Cornbrook neighbourhood offering 1-3 bedroom apartments and 2-3 bedroom townhouses at £1,190-£2,080 per month, with shared lounges, courtyard and garden terraces, co-working space, house kitchen, and gym.
- Forbes Place | Aberdeen (City Apartments & Townhouses) A rental development in Stoneywood, Aberdeen offering studio to 2 bedroom apartments and 3 bedroom townhouses at £785-£1,815 per month, pet-friendly with broadband and parking included.
- Fable Green | Bedfordshire (Family Homes) A forthcoming family rental development at Wixams, Bedfordshire offering 2-4 bedroom houses and 2 bedroom apartments for families seeking professionally managed suburban rentals.
- The Farriers | Milton Keynes (Family Homes) A forthcoming family rental development in Whitehouse, Milton Keynes offering 2-4 bedroom houses close to green spaces, everyday amenities, and Milton Keynes city centre.
- Origins at Franklin Gardens | Cambridge (Family Homes) A forthcoming family rental development in Cambridge offering 2-4 bedroom professionally managed homes in a well-connected setting with green space, everyday essentials, and city centre access.
- Gilbert Street Studios | Glasgow (Student Accommodation) Student studio accommodation in Glasgow's West End at 31 Gilbert Street, close to main university campus, cafés, bars, shops, and everyday essentials for students. Eligible for £750 cashback on selected rooms.
- Potterrow | Edinburgh (Student Accommodation) Student accommodation in central Edinburgh across from the University of Edinburgh, with the Royal Mile, cafés, shops, and city views nearby. Eligible for £250 refer-a-friend incentive.
- The Lantern | Liverpool (Student Accommodation) Student accommodation in central Liverpool near Lime Street Station and the city's main student routes, close to Liverpool John Moores University and the University of Liverpool. Eligible for £150 refer-a-friend incentive.
- The Barn | Exeter (Student Accommodation) Student accommodation in central Exeter close to St Luke's Campus and within easy reach of Streatham Campus, well-connected to shops, cafés, and everyday essentials. Eligible for £350 cashback.
- Colby River Student (PBSA Brand Launch) A new student living brand launching in July 2026 offering professionally managed student accommodation with on-site support, social and community spaces, intuitive building design, and partnership benefits to enhance the student experience.
Quantifiable outcome
- 4.85 star rating on HomeViews with 1800+ reviews
Companies that use Dandara Living
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Dandara Living technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Dandara Living partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Dandara Living competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Essential Living: UK Build-to-Rent operator focused on city-centre rental apartments in London and Manchester. Comparable in customer segment and amenity-led city professional positioning.
- Grainger plc: UK's largest listed residential landlord with a PRS portfolio of 9,000+ homes across multiple cities. Comparable in multi-city UK residential rental strategy and BTR operating approach.
- Unite Students: UK's largest purpose-built student accommodation provider, operating across 25+ university cities. Directly comparable to Colby River's student segment in product, customer and amenity positioning.
- iQ Student Accommodation: Major UK student housing operator with properties in 27 university cities. Directly comparable to the Colby River Student brand in product offering and target demographic.
- Quintain: One of the UK's largest Build-to-Rent developers and operators, with thousands of homes concentrated at Wembley Park. Directly comparable as a UK BTR operator with similar amenity-led positioning and target customers.
- Scape: UK student accommodation provider in London and other major university cities. Comparable in product offering, target customer and amenity-driven positioning.
- Urbanest: Purpose-built student housing operator in London and major UK university cities. Comparable to Colby River Student in studio and cluster flat product and target demographic.
- Get Living: Major UK Build-to-Rent operator behind large urban rental schemes such as East Village and Elephant Central. Comparable in target customer (city professionals) and amenity-rich, professionally managed operating model.
- Cortland: International Build-to-Rent developer and operator with a UK presence. Comparable in multi-city BTR operations, amenity-rich positioning and professional management approach.
Broad incumbents
- Dandara Group: UK property developer and likely parent group of the Dandara Living brand. Adjacent comparable given the brand association, though Dandara Group operates more broadly across development, sales and investment real estate.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Dandara Living social profiles
Digital presenceDandara Living financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Dandara Living leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Dandara Living funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Dandara 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 Dandara Living
What does Dandara Living do?
Dandara Living operates a portfolio of professionally managed residential rental developments across the UK, including city apartments, family homes, and purpose-built student accommodation. Units are leased directly to tenants on monthly recurring contracts with pricing varying by location, size, and development amenities, and supported by on-site teams, shared facilities (gyms, lounges, co-working spaces), and community programming.
Is Dandara Living a public or private company?
Dandara Living is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Dandara Living founded?
Dandara Living was founded in 2016. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Dandara Living based?
Dandara Living is headquartered in Altrincham, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Dandara Living make money?
One revenue line is on record: residential Rental Income.
Who are Dandara Living's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Essential Living, Grainger plc, Unite Students, iQ Student Accommodation, Quintain, Scape, Urbanest, Get Living and Cortland. Dandara Group is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Dandara Living have an API?
No public API is recorded for Dandara Living.
What industry is Dandara Living in?
Dandara Living's product category is Build-to-Rent Residential Housing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAJAFAJ, Co-Living Property Management, with a secondary code of THAMAGAK, Student Housing Property Management & Leasing Operators. Its NAICS code is 5311 and its SIC code is 6510.