Dolphin Living

What Dolphin Living does

Dolphin Living is a UK housing charity operating through the Dolphin Square Charitable Foundation (charity number 1110090) and its wholly-owned Registered Provider subsidiary Dolphin Housing Limited, founded in 2005 and headquartered in Inner London. The organisation provides affordable rental homes to working Londoners — including key workers, teachers, health workers, creatives, and professionals — who earn too much for social housing but cannot afford market rents. The core offering comprises Intermediate Rent homes priced at approximately 20-39% below local market rents (74% of the 832-home 2025 portfolio), a small social/affordable rent tranche (6%), and the Home Ownership Accelerator Scheme, a three-year tenancy at 65% of market rent with a Dolphin-funded deposit top-up of £43,000-£77,000 at exit.

The organisation operates as a nonprofit entity capitalised by an initial endowment exceeding £120 million (total £124m) from the Dolphin Square Trust and supplemented by a £24.7m retail charity bond (2016) and a £53.5m 30-year Canada Life Investments loan (2020). The technology footprint is intentionally limited to a website-based eligibility checker and a Touchstone-managed Resident Portal for repairs and rent interactions; there is no proprietary technology platform. Acquisitions are sourced through S106 planning agreements with major developers (Landsec, St Edward/Berkeley-M&G, Moxon Street, Hill Group, Barratt) and direct partnerships with borough councils (Westminster, Hackney, plus seven other inner London boroughs).

Customers are individual residents served through a direct-to-consumer digital application funnel with eligibility gating; property management is outsourced to Touchstone. Demand is intermediated via Homes for Westminster and similar local-authority partner organisations. The 2024-2027 strategy articulates three pillars — Residents, Homes, Growth — and targets delivery of 1,000 new homes, with the New Era Estate redevelopment (Hill Group/Hackney/GLA, 2026-2029, 99 intermediate + 109 market sale homes) as the most significant single project.

Name

Dolphin Living

Legal name

Dolphin Square Charitable Foundation

Website

https://dolphinliving.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Dolphin Living is a London housing charity providing intermediate rental homes at roughly 20-39% below market rent to working Londoners on modest incomes, across nine inner London boroughs using an endowment-funded, developer-S106-sourced, touchstone-managed portfolio of 800+ homes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Intermediate Rent: Primary revenue stream from renting homes at approximately 20% below market rent to working Londoners on modest incomes. In 2025, 74% of 832 homes were available for Intermediate Rent at an average discount of 39% to local market rent.
2. Market Rent: Limited number of open market rental properties within the portfolio.
3. Social/Affordable Rent: A small portion (6% in 2025) of homes provided at social or affordable rents to those in acute housing need, meeting the charity's second charitable objective.
4. Retail Charity Bond: Dolphin Living raised £24.7m through retail charity bond offering (fixed interest 4.25% per annum until July 2026) for portfolio growth.
5. Loan Financing: £53.5m fixed-rate long-term loan from Canada Life Investments, secured against four apartment blocks in Central London.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Dolphin Living is a housing charity that owns and rents affordable homes in Inner London to working Londoners on modest incomes. Its core offering is Intermediate Rent housing at approximately 20-39% below local market rent, complemented by a Home Ownership Accelerator Scheme (three-year tenancies at 65% of market rent with deposit top-ups) and a smaller Social Rent portfolio. Properties are sourced through developer partnerships and S106 agreements across nine inner London boroughs.

Product overview

Dolphin Living operates as a single unified affordable housing service rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering consists of Intermediate Rent Homes (offered at 20-39% below market rent) and the Home Ownership Accelerator Scheme (a pathway to homeownership). These are complemented by a smaller portfolio of Social Rent Homes for those in acute housing need. All residential services are supported by a Resident Portal for property management interactions. Properties span nine inner London boroughs including Westminster, Camden, Hackney, Lambeth, and others, with approximately 832 homes managed in 2025.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Home Ownership Accelerator: A scheme that helps eligible Westminster residents and workers achieve home ownership by renting at 65% of market rent for three years while saving towards a deposit, which is then topped up by Dolphin Living upon purchase of a property within Greater London.

Products and services

• Intermediate Rent Homes Affordable rental housing offered at approximately 20-39% below local market rent for working Londoners on modest incomes who cannot afford market rates but earn too much for social housing.
• Social Rent Homes Homes provided at social rent levels for those in acute housing need or who are statutorily homeless, meeting Dolphin Living's secondary charitable objective.
• Home Ownership Accelerator Scheme A three-year rental program at 65% of market rent helping eligible residents save for a home deposit, with Dolphin Living providing a £43,000-£77,000 top-up grant upon purchase of a property within Greater London.
• Affordable Housing Development Development of new affordable homes in partnership with developers, landowners, and boroughs across nine inner London boroughs including Westminster, Camden, Hackney, and Lambeth.

Quantifiable outcome

• Average discount of 39% to local market rent for intermediate rent homes in 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Knight FrankminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 December 2022Knight Frank's Town Planning team acted on behalf of Dolphin Living to secure planning consent from Southwark Council for Parkhouse Street development (85 homes, 40% affordable, GDV £36.6m).
• Moxon Street ResidentialcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2022Contract exchange in October 2022 with Moxon Street Residential for purchase of long leasehold of 25 affordable homes at Marylebone Square development in Westminster.
• Montagu EvansminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 September 2022Montagu Evans selected to advise Dolphin Living on delivery and procurement for New Era Estate rebuilding, including shaping commercial structure, procurement strategy, and overseeing selection of development partner.
• St Edward (Berkeley Group & M&G Joint Venture)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2021Contract exchange in December 2021 with St Edward (Berkeley Group's joint venture with M&G) for 13 intermediate rented apartments at 9 Millbank scheme near Parliament, providing homes for Westminster residents and workers with household incomes under £90,000.
• The Hill GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking in partnership with The Hill Group, London Borough of Hackney, and GLA on the redevelopment of the New Era Estate in Hackney, to deliver high-quality, energy-efficient homes while securing the future of an established community.
• London Borough of HackneycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with London Borough of Hackney and GLA for New Era Estate redevelopment, providing 99 intermediate rent homes and 109 market sale homes.
• Greater London Authority (GLA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGLA partnership for New Era Estate redevelopment in Hackney, part of the collaborative effort to deliver affordable housing.
• LandseccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Landsec for affordable housing delivery. Dolphin Living exchanged contracts with Landsec for purchase of Wardour Street site in Soho (8 intermediate rented homes) and other developments.
• TouchstonecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTouchstone manages Dolphin Living's properties on their behalf. Touchstone handles repairs, maintenance, rent and service charge payments, day-to-day building management, and out-of-hours service calls.
• Westminster City CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Westminster City Council for Westminster Home Ownership Accelerator (WHOA) programme and various S106 affordable housing agreements.
• Homes for WestminstercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner organisation for eligibility verification and allocation of homes in Westminster, including Accelerator Scheme applicants.
• Barratt HomesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivery partnership with Barratt Homes for 2 Hopkins Street development (78 new homes, 65 intermediate rent), opened by Mayor of London Boris Johnson in March 2016.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pocket Living: London-focused affordable housing developer offering discount market sale and intermediate rent homes to working professionals on modest incomes. Dolphin Living's Development Director Matthew Lamb previously led planning and delivery at Pocket Living, indicating close operational model alignment for the same customer segment.
• Catalyst Housing: London-focused housing association delivering mixed-tenure affordable homes. Dolphin Living board member Julia Moulder spent 20 years in Executive Director roles at Catalyst, signalling strong model and operational alignment in affordable rent and intermediate housing delivery.

Broad incumbents

• Optivo: Major London-based housing association formed from the merger of AmicusHorizon and Viridian Housing. Provides affordable and intermediate rent, with comparable customer segments and borough-level overlap with Dolphin Living's portfolio.
• Clarion Housing: The UK's largest housing association, providing affordable and intermediate rent homes at scale. Operates across London boroughs and competes for S106 planning allocations in markets where Dolphin Living is also active, sharing a similar charitable and Registered Provider structure.
• Hyde Group: Large London and South East housing association providing general needs, shared ownership, and intermediate rent homes. Comparable to Dolphin Living in the mix of tenures offered and the focus on working households priced out of market housing.
• L&Q Group: One of the UK's largest housing associations, with significant operations across London and the South East. Delivers a mix of affordable, intermediate, and market rent housing, directly comparable in customer segments and borough presence to Dolphin Living.
• Guinness Partnership: One of the largest housing associations in England, providing affordable, supported, and intermediate rent housing including in London. Comparable as a Registered Provider and charitable housing body with overlapping customer segments and borough presence to Dolphin Living.
• Southern Housing: Large UK housing association operating across London and the South East, providing a range of affordable and intermediate rent tenures. Dolphin Living board member Sarah Smith previously held roles at Southern Housing (post-AmicusHorizon merger), indicating close operational and governance comparability.
• Peabody: One of the UK's largest housing associations with a major London presence, providing affordable and intermediate rent alongside social housing. Comparable in mission and operating model to Dolphin Living, but with a much larger scale, broader geography, and full Registered Provider status.
• Notting Hill Genesis: Major London-focused housing association formed from the merger of Notting Hill Housing and Genesis Housing Association. Operates similar intermediate rent, shared ownership, and social rent models across Inner London boroughs overlapping with Dolphin Living's footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dolphin-living
• Xx.com/dolphinliving

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles31 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Dolphin Living