The Ethical Property Company PLC

What The Ethical Property Company PLC does

The Ethical Property Company PLC is a UK-based social enterprise operating a portfolio of 14 managed workspace centres across 8 cities (Bath, Brighton, Bristol, London, Manchester, Oxford, Sheffield), providing serviced offices, coworking desks, and meeting/event space to charities, non-profits, social enterprises, B-Corps, and ethical businesses. Founded in 1998 and structured as a Public Limited Company (PLC) with a distributed shareholder base of impact-focused investors, the company differentiates through purpose-built and heritage-converted BREEAM-certified buildings (ratings from Good to Excellent), all-inclusive monthly pricing with no VAT, flexible contracts, and curated communities of impact-led tenants in each location. Approximately 1,000 impact organisations are hosted across the portfolio, with pricing ranging from roughly £274/month for coworking desks to over £7,600/month for larger offices of 30+ people.

The company's revenue model is a recurring subscription-based rental income stream derived from monthly workspace contracts, supplemented by event and conference hire (notably at The Foundry in Vauxhall, a 2015 joint venture with four major charitable foundations). Distribution is direct: a sales team reachable via phone/email, centre-level on-site management, website enquiries, and a tenant referral scheme. There is no proprietary technology platform — the business is fundamentally a real-estate operating company whose intellectual property consists of building assets, sustainability credentials (BREEAM, Real Living Wage, Fair Tax Mark), and an established brand in the UK impact sector over ~30 years. The company is currently in a transition phase: Managing Director Conrad Peberdy announced his departure in 2025, and in April 2026 the Board launched a search for a new purpose-driven CEO to lead a multi-year portfolio review and operational modernisation.

Name

The Ethical Property Company PLC

Legal name

The Ethical Property Company PLC

Website

https://ethicalproperty.co.uk

Company type

Public

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Ethical Property Company PLC operates 14 managed workspace centres across 8 UK cities, providing serviced offices, coworking desks, and meeting space to charities, non-profits, social enterprises, and ethical businesses on flexible monthly contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Workspace Services (Serviced Offices and Coworking for Impact Organisations)

NAICS

Lessors of Nonresidential Buildings (except Miniwarehouses) (531120), Nonresidential Property Managers (531312)

SIC

Real Estate Operators (No Developers) & Lessors (6510), Operators Of Nonresidential Buildings (6512)

akta.pro primary industry

Office Property Management (BPAJAGAA)

Keywords

• Serviced office space
• Charity workspace rental
• Coworking office centres
• Ethical property management
• Flexible managed offices

Headquarters

HQ city

Oxford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices14 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Workspace Rental Income: Primary revenue stream from renting serviced office space, coworking desks, and meeting room hire to impact organisations including charities, non-profits, social enterprises, and ethical businesses. Revenue is generated through monthly rental contracts with flexible terms.
2. Event Space Hire: Revenue from hiring out conference, event, and meeting spaces at certain centres, particularly The Foundry in London which has dedicated conferencing facilities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Ethical Property Company PLC operates 14 workspace centres across 8 UK cities, providing managed, fully-serviced office space, coworking desks, and meeting/event space on flexible monthly rental contracts. The portfolio is curated for charities, non-profits, social enterprises, B-Corps, and ethical businesses, with all-inclusive pricing that covers rent, utilities, wifi, maintenance, business rates, and service charges. Properties span BREEAM-certified eco workspaces, award-winning redevelopments (e.g., The Foundry, The Green House), and heritage building conversions.

Product overview

The Ethical Property Company PLC operates 14 workspace centres across 8 UK cities (Bath, Brighton, Bristol, London, Manchester, Oxford, Sheffield) providing flexible office, coworking, and event space for impact-led organisations including charities, non-profits, social enterprises, B-Corps, and ethical businesses. Their portfolio includes purpose-built eco workspaces like The Green House (BREEAM Excellent) and The Foundry (RIBA award-winning, BREEAM Excellent), historic conversions like The Old Music Hall and Green Park Station, and community hubs like St Pauls Learning Centre. Core offerings span private offices (1-60 people), dedicated desks, hot desking/coworking, and meeting/hireable event spaces. Facilities typically include high-speed broadband, WiFi, meeting rooms, bike storage, showers, and communal spaces. Pricing is all-inclusive with flexible contracts. The company differentiates through sustainability credentials (BREEAM ratings, Net Zero commitments), community-building among tenants, and fair, ethical business practices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Foundry: A joint venture workspace and conference centre in Vauxhall, London, developed in partnership with Trust for London, Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, The Barrow Cadbury Trust, and LankellyChase Foundation. Awarded RIBA award and BREEAM rated 'Excellent'. Serves as a social justice centre for campaigning organisations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 90% tenant satisfaction - would recommend to others
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers19 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

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• OxfordHRminorOthersRecruitment partner for CEO search in 2026. OxfordHR is handling the executive search for Ethical Property's new purpose-driven CEO.
• Whitestone InternationalminorOthersBranding partner for 2020 website and visual rebrand. Assisted with the new branding launch including website, visual branding, and logo design.
• Marmelo DigitalminorOthersDigital partner for 2020 website and visual rebrand. Contributed to the new branding and website launch.
• FineprintminorOthersPrint partner for 2020 website and visual rebrand project. Assisted with the rebranding initiative.
• Waugh Thistleton ArchitectsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitects who designed The Green House building based on Ethical Property's vision of a sustainable eco-friendly workplace with natural light and communal spaces.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Town Hall Hotels: UK hospitality and workspace operator combining hotels with coworking and event space in heritage buildings. Partial overlap with Ethical Property's heritage-conversion model (e.g., Old Music Hall) and community positioning, though anchored on hospitality rather than office leasing.

Broad incumbents

• WeWork: Global coworking and flexible office brand with UK presence across London, Manchester, and other Ethical Property geographies. Comparable product (private offices, coworking, monthly all-inclusive contracts) but very different positioning — generalist tech/creative tenants rather than impact organisations.
• Bruntwood Works: UK regional flexible office and coworking operator with a strong Manchester/Northern presence (overlapping with Ethical Property's Green Fish Manchester centre). Comparable as a UK serviced office landlord, though Bruntwood is a broad incumbent serving mixed commercial tenants.
• IWG (Regus): The world's largest flexible workspace operator (Regus, Spaces, HQ brands) operating extensively across the UK. Comparable business model — monthly serviced office leases with all-inclusive pricing — but with global scale and a generalist tenant base rather than impact-sector focus.
• Workspace Group: London-focused flexible office landlord offering short-term leases to SMEs across a portfolio of converted industrial buildings. Comparable in flexible-lease office model targeting small organisations, though Workspace is a broader commercial play and London-only.
• TOG (The Office Group): One of the UK's largest flexible office and coworking operators with a national portfolio of premium serviced offices. Directly comparable as a UK flexible office landlord serving professional and SME tenants, though TOG is a broad incumbent rather than an impact-sector specialist.

Direct peers

• Uncommon.co.uk: UK flexible workspace operator (London, Bristol, Manchester) offering premium all-inclusive coworking and private offices with a strong community and design-led positioning. Comparable all-inclusive monthly pricing and emphasis on curated tenant communities, though Uncommon is younger and broader in tenant mix than Ethical Property's impact focus.
• Runway East: UK flexible workspace operator offering coworking, private offices, and event space with a focus on startups and scale-ups. Closely comparable London-anchored, all-inclusive pricing model, though Runway East targets tech and growth-stage businesses rather than charities and social enterprises.
• Impact Hub Network: Global network of impact-focused coworking and innovation hubs hosting social enterprises, NGOs, and purpose-driven businesses. The closest direct peer in terms of mission and tenant profile — both operators curate communities of impact organisations — though Impact Hub operates a franchise model across multiple cities globally.
• Second Home: Design-led coworking operator with locations in London (Spitalfields, Kensington) and other cities, hosting creative and mission-driven organisations in distinctive, community-led spaces. Comparable in curating a like-minded tenant community and all-inclusive monthly pricing model, though Second Home is broader in its tenant mix.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ethicalspace
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-ethical-property-company-ltd

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 The Ethical Property Company PLC