Cornwall Rural Housing Association Limited

What Cornwall Rural Housing Association Limited does

Cornwall Rural Housing Association Limited (CRHA) is a charitable registered society and Registered Provider of social housing, founded in 1985 and headquartered in Bodmin, Cornwall. It develops, owns, and manages affordable rental and shared ownership homes for rural communities across Cornwall and on four inhabited islands of the Isles of Scilly, housing over 1,000 local people across more than 100 developments. Tenant allocation is governed by parish-level local connection criteria, with nominations on the Isles of Scilly routed through the Council of the Isles of Scilly and direct applications handled in Cornwall.

The operating model is built around three revenue streams: recurring rental income from social rent (pre-2014 stock) and affordable rent (up to 80% of gross market rent for post-2014 stock) charged weekly in advance; capital grants from Homes England and Cornwall Council to fund new development; and one-off income from shared ownership staircasing and sales. Supporting services include the MyCRHA tenant portal (backed by Microsoft Azure AD single sign-on), multi-channel repairs reporting with defined service-level windows, rent collection via Allpayments and PayPoint, and partnerships with HomeSwapper for mutual exchanges and Entitledto/MoneyHelper for tenant welfare support.

Go-to-market is direct-to-tenant and partner-led: housing is allocated through parish council referrals, council nominations, and direct application via the website, with ongoing customer service delivered through MyCRHA. CRHA is governed by a voluntary Board of Management and is regulated by the Regulator of Social Housing, affiliated to the National Housing Federation and Rural Housing Alliance. The development pipeline and recent stock acquisitions (Hanover Court, August 2024) are funded through a combination of government grants and borrowing from banks and building societies, reflecting the standard UK affordable housing finance stack.

Name

Cornwall Rural Housing Association Limited

Legal name

Cornwall Rural Housing Association Limited

Website

https://crha.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cornwall Rural Housing Association Limited is a charitable housing association founded in 1985 that provides affordable rental and shared ownership homes to over 1,000 rural residents across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Housing

NAICS

Lessors of Residential Buildings and Dwellings (53111), Residential Property Managers (531311)

SIC

Lessors Of Real Property, Nec (6519), Real Estate Operators (No Developers) & Lessors (6510)

akta.pro primary industry

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Commercial Real Estate Asset Management (BPAJAMAB)

Keywords

• Affordable housing
• Social housing
• Shared ownership
• Rural housing
• Tenancy management

Headquarters

HQ city

Bodmin

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Rental Income: CRHA's primary ongoing funding comes from rent payments from tenants in their affordable and social housing properties across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Rents are set in accordance with regulatory requirements, with Social Rents for pre-2014 properties and Affordable Rents (up to 80% of market rent) for newer properties.
2. Government Grants: Capital grants from government bodies such as Homes England and local authorities help fund the development of new affordable homes, supplementing the costs not covered by borrowing.
3. Shared Ownership Sales: CRHA provides homes for shared ownership, selling partial ownership stakes to qualifying local people. Properties such as The Triangle development include 10 shared ownership homes sold to qualifying local residents.
4. Donations and Legacies: CRHA accepts donations to help with essential running costs, contributions to new affordable homes, and support investment in existing homes. Donors can give once, set up monthly gifts, or leave legacy gifts in wills.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cornwall Rural Housing Association (CRHA) provides affordable rental homes and shared ownership properties to individuals and families in rural communities across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Properties are let at Social Rent (pre-2014 stock, per Government guidelines) or Affordable Rent (post-2014 stock, up to 80% of market rent), with allocations subject to local parish connection criteria. The association develops new affordable homes in partnership with Homes England and Cornwall Council, and supports tenants through the MyCRHA portal for rent payments, repair reporting, and tenancy administration.

Product overview

Cornwall Rural Housing Association Limited (CRHA) operates as a social housing provider offering a portfolio of housing services centered on three core offerings: affordable housing for rent (comprising Social Rents governed by Government guidelines for pre-2014 properties and Affordable Rents capped at 80% of market rent for newer properties), Shared Ownership homes enabling part-buy/part-rent arrangements for qualifying local residents, and the MyCRHA customer portal providing tenant self-service for rent management, repair reporting, and tenancy administration. Supporting services include multi-channel repairs reporting, benefits calculation tools, and rent payment processing via integrated third-party platforms including Allpayments and PayPoint. The organisation primarily serves rural communities across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly with properties subject to local connection requirements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MyCRHA: Tenant portal for customers to view transactions, pay rent, and access services.

Products and services

• Affordable Housing for Rent Rental housing offered to qualifying tenants at Social Rents (pre-2014 stock, set per Government guidelines) or Affordable Rents (post-2014 stock, capped at 80% of gross market rent). Allocations require a local connection to the parish where the property is located.
• Shared Ownership Homes Part-buy, part-rent home ownership scheme allowing qualifying local people to purchase a share of a CRHA property and pay rent on the remaining share.
• MyCRHA Customer Portal Online tenant portal for viewing transactions, reporting repairs, accessing tenancy information, and managing accounts. Staff authenticate via Microsoft Azure AD.
• Repairs Reporting Service Multi-channel repair reporting service for tenants with emergency repairs responded to within 24 hours, urgent repairs within 5 working days, and other repairs within 28 working days.
• Rent Payment Services Rent payment processing offering tenants multiple channels including Allpayments, PayPoint (at Post Offices and retail outlets), direct debit, mobile text, and internet banking.
• Hanover Court Supported Housing (Over 55s) Specialist supported housing comprising 7 one-bedroom bungalows for over 55s on St Mary's, Isles of Scilly. Each property is furnished with a lifeline and allocations are subject to section 106 local connection requirements.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000 local people housed in rural communities
• +1 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

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Housing FederationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRHA is affiliated to the National Housing Federation, the trade body for housing associations in England. This provides industry representation, best practice guidance, and collective advocacy for the social housing sector.
• Rural Housing AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRHA is affiliated to the Rural Housing Alliance, which supports rural housing associations and advocates for affordable rural housing. The alliance helps address the specific challenges of providing housing in rural areas.
• Council of the Isles of ScillycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Council of the Isles of Scilly nominates residents for CRHA properties on the islands. CRHA also works with the council on land donations for housing development (e.g., development at Well Cross named after Tom Chudleigh with land donated by the council).
• St Ewe Affordable Homes (Community Land Trust)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRHA built Glebe Cottage homes as part of a larger scheme developed in partnership with St Ewe Affordable Homes, a community land trust. This partnership demonstrates CRHA's commitment to community-led housing initiatives.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• English Rural Housing Association: Rural-focused housing association serving villages across southern and central England. Very similar to CRHA in mission, operating model, and target demographic of rural residents with local connections needing affordable housing.
• Hastoe Housing Association: Specialist rural housing association operating across southern England. Directly comparable to CRHA due to its rural focus, small-to-medium scale, and similar model of providing affordable homes with local connection requirements in villages and smaller communities.

Broad incumbents

• Aster Group: Major UK housing association providing affordable homes across southern England. Relevant as a larger-scale affordable housing provider operating in similar Southwest geographies, but with diversified product lines and broader geographic reach.
• LiveWest: Large Southwest England housing association formed from the merger of Coastline Housing and Devon & Cornwall Housing. Comparable as a regional housing association operating in CRHA's geography, but at substantially greater scale and broader remit.
• Stonewater: Major UK housing association providing affordable homes across the country. Comparable as a Registered Provider operating shared ownership and affordable rental housing, but at materially larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• Anchor: England's largest provider of specialist housing and care for later life. Relevant given CRHA's over-55s housing (Hanover Court) and that an Anchor senior leader sits on CRHA's board, though Anchor operates at vastly greater scale and broader scope.
• Sanctuary Housing: Large UK housing association providing affordable housing and care services nationally. Comparable as a major Registered Provider but with a substantially larger portfolio and broader geographic and product mix than CRHA.
• Guinness Partnership: One of the largest housing associations in England, providing affordable and social housing. Comparable as a Registered Provider operating at scale, though with a much larger portfolio and more diversified geographic footprint than CRHA.
• Home Group: Major UK housing association providing affordable homes and support services. Comparable as a Registered Provider offering social and affordable housing, but with diversified geographic reach and a broader service portfolio.
• Sovereign Housing Association: Large UK housing association managing tens of thousands of homes across southern and central England. Comparable in operating model as a Registered Provider but at significantly greater scale and geographic reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CornwallRuralHA
• Facebookfacebook.com/CornwallRuralHousingAssociation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/crha-limited

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Cornwall Rural Housing Association Limited