Grand Union Housing Group

What Grand Union Housing Group does

Amplius is one of the largest housing associations in the Midlands, East and Southeast of England, owning and managing more than 40,000 homes across general needs housing, supported living, specialist accommodation for over 55s, shared ownership stock, and leasehold properties. Formed in 2024 through the merger of Grand Union Housing Group (traced to 1968) and Longhurst Group under Chief Executive Julie Doyle, the organization is a charitable, not-for-profit community benefit society (Reg. No. 7853) registered with the Regulator of Social Housing (No. 5060) and a member of the National Housing Federation, headquartered in Milton Keynes with 251-500 employees. It serves individual social housing applicants, existing tenants, shared ownership buyers, older residents, vulnerable tenants requiring care and support, people with learning disabilities, and leasehold homeowners across counties including Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.

The core product offering spans affordable rented housing (social rent and affordable rent at up to 80% of market rent), shared ownership home buying with staircasing, leasehold management, supported living accommodation for people with learning disabilities (e.g., eight units at Wixams), specialist housing for over 55s with Life24 alarm and Telecare services, and care/support services delivered via a Customer Partner Team. Customer-facing technology includes the My.Amplius portal (rebranded from MyGUHG in May 2026) for self-service rent payments, repair booking and statements; the Voice customer feedback platform (powered by QuestIC via Harris Research and Analytics) used for surveys, polls and policy co-design; an FCA-regulated debt advice service (FRN 822130); and the Warm Homes Social Housing Fund retrofit programme upgrading ~2,100 homes to EPC C with insulation, low-carbon heating and on-site renewables. The company explicitly identifies itself as 'not a technology company'; technology is operational rather than differentiating, with periodic stock condition surveys outsourced to JLL and Savills and TSM surveys commissioned to PFA Research.

Revenue is diversified across recurring weekly rental subscriptions (primary), one-time shared ownership sales and leasehold fees, government grant funding (Homes England Strategic Partnership 2021-26 totalling £144,826,068 for 1,777 homes plus £19,976,550 additional for 187 extra homes; Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund Wave 3 of £20.3m match-funded to ~£41m), annual service charges for communal areas and estate services, and professional services income from FCA-regulated debt advice. Go-to-market combines direct digital channels (website, My.Amplius portal), regionally deployed Housing Officers, Community Safety Officers and an Allocations Team managing applications, mutual exchanges and onboarding, plus developer and contractor partnerships (Allison Homes, Vistry Group, Lindum Group, Morgan Sindall Property Services, Lovell Renew). Pricing is set under government rent policy; from 6 April 2026 all new general needs tenancies are 52-week agreements, replacing the legacy 48-week model following customer consultation via Voice.

Name

Grand Union Housing Group

Legal name

Amplius Living

Website

https://guhg.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Amplius is a charitable, not-for-profit housing association formed from the 2024 merger of Grand Union Housing Group and Longhurst Group, providing affordable rented housing, shared ownership, supported living and care services across more than 40,000 homes in the Midlands, East and Southeast of England.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Affordable Housing

NAICS

Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly (62331), Continuing Care Retirement Communities (623311)

SIC

Real Estate (6500), Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340)

akta.pro primary industry

Affordable & Subsidized Housing Property Management (LIHTC, Section 8) (BPAJAFAD)

Keywords

• Affordable housing services
• Social housing provision
• Supported living accommodation
• Shared ownership homes
• Housing association services

Headquarters

HQ city

Milton Keynes

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Social and Affordable Rent: Rental income from general needs housing, supported living, housing for over 55s, and specialist accommodation. Tenants pay weekly rent under assured tenancy agreements. Revenue is reinvested into housing services and development as a not-for-profit organisation.
2. Shared Ownership and Leasehold: Home ownership products including shared ownership sales and staircasing. Leasehold management services for homeowners.
3. Government Grants and Match Funding: Grant funding from Homes England (Strategic Partnership 2021-26 totalling £144,826,068 for 1,777 homes) and Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (£20.3m government allocation, match-funded for £41m total investment). Government grants are used to fund development and retrofit programmes.
4. Debt Advice and Financial Services: Debt advice service authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 822130) for customers. Service is tailored to customer circumstances and includes welfare benefits advice.
5. Service Charges: Annual customer charge review of charges for homes, as outlined in tenancy agreements. Includes service charges for communal areas, estate services and specific schemes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Amplius (trading name of Grand Union Housing Group) is a not-for-profit housing association that owns and manages more than 40,000 affordable homes across the Midlands, East and Southeast of England. It provides social and affordable rental housing, shared ownership home purchase, specialist accommodation for over 55s, supported living for people with learning disabilities, care and support services, an FCA-regulated debt advice service, and a large-scale energy efficiency retrofit programme.

Product overview

Amplius is one of the largest housing providers across the Midlands, East and Southeast of England, owning and managing more than 40,000 homes following the merger of Longhurst Group and Grand Union Housing Group in late 2024. The organization operates as a single unified brand offering multiple interconnected services: affordable housing for rent (social and market rent), Shared Ownership home buying, specialist housing for people over 55, and supported living for people with disabilities. The core customer-facing platform is My.Amplius, a digital portal enabling rent payments, repair booking, and account management. Amplius also provides care and support services through its Customer Partner Team, debt advice services (FCA regulated), and financial wellbeing support. The Voice platform enables customer feedback and engagement. The organization is heavily invested in sustainability through its Warm Homes Social Housing Fund programme, upgrading existing homes with energy efficiency measures including insulation, windows, doors, and low carbon heating systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Affordable Housing for Rent Quality affordable homes for rent across multiple tenures (general needs, social rent, affordable rent up to 80% of market rent, and market rent) for individuals and families in housing need in the Midlands, East and Southeast of England. Tenants pay weekly rent under assured tenancy agreements.
• Shared Ownership Homes Home ownership product allowing customers to purchase a share of a property and pay rent on the remaining share, with the option to staircase to higher ownership over time. Available on new-build developments delivered in partnership with housebuilders.
• Homes for Over 55s (Life24 and Telecare) Specialist housing for people aged 55 and over, including independent living schemes, Life24 personal alarm service and Telecare monitoring for safety and emergency response.
• Supported Living Accommodation Specialist housing and support services for people with learning disabilities and other needs, enabling them to live independently in their own home with appropriate on-site support.
• Repairs and Planned Works Property maintenance service covering responsive repairs, repair response times, contractor management, estate services and major planned improvement programmes for tenants and leaseholders.
• Customer Partner Support Service Dedicated support service in which Customer Partners help tenants sustain their tenancy through regular appointments, access to other services and liaison with agencies such as Social Services, including for vulnerable customers and safeguarding cases.
• Debt Advice Service FCA-authorised and regulated debt advice service (FRN 822130) providing debt assessment, welfare benefits advice, money guidance and insolvency options tailored to customer circumstances.
• Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund Retrofit Programme Energy efficiency improvement programme upgrading around 2,100 homes with measures such as wall insulation, loft insulation, new doors and windows, and low-carbon heating, targeting EPC rating C and materially reducing tenant energy bills.
• My.Amplius Customer Portal Self-service digital customer portal allowing tenants to pay rent, view statements, book repairs, track repair progress and access tenancy information online and on mobile devices.

Quantifiable outcome

• Energy bills reduced by up to 50% following energy efficiency upgrades (e.g., from £200/month to £102/month electricity)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor, major and core.

• Fortem SolutionsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 20 November 2025One of Amplius's repairs contractors. Seeking social housing customers to join their Customer Partnership Board to help shape repairs services. Payment of £3,000/year for board members contributing approximately 10 days per year.
• LACE HousingmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 September 2025Delivery partner receiving over £3 million of Homes England strategic partnership funding to build 27 supported housing units for older people as part of the 187 additional homes enabled by the extra grant.
• Vistry GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 August 2025Partnership to build 133 affordable homes as part of the Wixams sustainable urban extension near Bedford. Includes 64 social rent, 61 Shared Ownership and 8 supported living units for people with learning disabilities. Part-funded through Homes England grants.
• Lovell RenewcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 August 2025Contractor delivering energy efficiency improvements as part of Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund Wave 3, working alongside Morgan Sindall Property Services. Resident liaison teams engage with customers throughout the programme.
• Lindum GroupmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 July 2025Partnership to build 34 affordable homes in Navenby (High Dyke/Jubilee Way), Lincolnshire, including 30 semi-detached houses and 4 bungalows. Properties built to high sustainability standards with solar PV, air source heat pumps and enhanced insulation. Applications prioritised for people with local connections.
• Morgan Sindall Property ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 March 2025Main contractor for Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund Wave 3, delivering energy efficiency improvements to around 2,100 homes. Previously delivered Wave 2.1 improvements to nearly 600 homes across five regions. Focus on net zero targets and energy-efficient retrofit.
• Allison HomescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 February 2025Mays Place (121 homes, Bourne) and The Oaks (38 homes, Nettleham) delivered in partnership with Allison Homes. Properties offered across Shared Ownership, Rent to Buy and Affordable Rent. Allison Partnerships division focused on delivering high-quality affordable homes.
• Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and TrustMark Research and Innovation (TRI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerData sharing partnership for monitoring energy improvement performance in social housing funded through government Warm Homes Social Housing Fund. Monthly reports provided to DESNZ. TRI may collect additional information and contact residents for consent where needed.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Metropolitan Thames Valley: Large housing association operating across London, the South East, Midlands and East of England. Comparable to Amplius in providing affordable rent, shared ownership, supported housing and care services across a similar geographic footprint.
• Hyde Group: UK housing association managing around 60,000 homes across London, the South East and Midlands. Comparable to Amplius in operating across overlapping East and Southeast English regions with a similar mix of affordable and supported housing tenures.
• Home Group: UK housing association providing affordable housing and supported living services, particularly for vulnerable customers. Comparable to Amplius in offering specialist supported living alongside general needs housing and operating under similar regulatory and funding frameworks.
• Orbit Group: UK housing association managing around 45,000 homes across the Midlands, East and Southeast England. Very directly comparable to Amplius in geographic footprint (substantial overlap), scale (~45,000 vs 40,000+ homes) and product mix including shared ownership.
• Sanctuary Housing Association: Large UK housing association providing affordable rent, shared ownership, supported living and retirement housing with around 100,000 homes. Closely comparable to Amplius in product mix, including care and support services alongside general needs housing.
• Longhurst Group: Predecessor organisation that merged with Grand Union Housing Group in 2024 to form Amplius. The combined entity retains many Longhurst Group customers, properties and systems, making it the closest comparable in terms of legacy systems, geographic footprint and customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Notting Hill Genesis: Large UK housing association with around 66,000 homes formed from the 2018 merger of Notting Hill Housing and Genesis Housing Association. Directly comparable to Amplius in operating a post-merger integration model across affordable rent, shared ownership and supported housing.
• Peabody: Major London-based housing association managing around 107,000 homes following the 2022 Catalyst merger. Comparable to Amplius in being a charitable, multi-tenure provider offering shared ownership, supported living and care services alongside general needs housing.
• Clarion Housing Group: Largest UK housing association with around 125,000 homes across England. Comparable to Amplius as a large-scale affordable and supported housing provider, though significantly larger and broader in geographic reach.
• L&Q Group: One of the UK's largest housing associations managing around 110,000 homes. Directly comparable to Amplius as a large, multi-region charitable housing association delivering affordable rent, shared ownership and supported housing, but operating at substantially greater scale and geographic breadth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GrandUnionHG
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grand-union-housing-group

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Grand Union Housing Group