Home Makers (The Property People)

What Home Makers (The Property People) does

Home Makers (also trading as The Property People) is a private lettings agent and landlord operating in South-East London, headquartered at The Green Man, 355 Bromley Road, Catford, SE6 2RP. The company provides tenant finding, property and tenancy management, rent collection support, deposit registration, quarterly inspections, and arrears recovery services to private landlords in Lewisham and Bromley, with extended coverage into Croydon, Greenwich, Lambeth, and Bexley. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Phoenix Community Housing, a housing association and one of the largest landlords in Lewisham; all surpluses generated by Home Makers are gifted to Phoenix for community reinvestment, positioning the business as a resident-led, community-oriented agency rather than a profit-maximising commercial operator.

The company operates a sales-led, relationship-driven go-to-market anchored by free rental valuations, direct phone and email contact, and personal service from a three-to-five person team led by manager Vicki Watson. Its technology stack is modest: a property listing website with search and tenant registration functionality, an interactive map-based Draw Search tool for geographic property discovery, email newsletter sign-up, and third-party distribution via Zoopla. Pricing is not publicly disclosed but is described as "competitively priced," with one listed property showing rent of £1,750 per calendar month. The business model is professional-services based, monetising through landlord management fees, with member status in The Property Ombudsman, Trading Standards, and the Tenancy Deposit Scheme providing regulatory credibility in the UK lettings market.

Name

Home Makers (The Property People)

Legal name

Home Makers

Website

https://home-makers.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Home Makers is a private lettings agent and landlord in South-East London, providing tenant finding, property management, and compliance services to private landlords across Lewisham, Bromley, and four adjacent boroughs, operating as a subsidiary of Phoenix Community Housing.

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

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Property Lettings and Management Services: Home Makers generates revenue through providing lettings agent services to landlords, including tenant finding, property management, and related services. The company operates as a subsidiary of Phoenix Community Housing, with surpluses gifted to Phoenix for community reinvestment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Home Makers is a private lettings agent and landlord in South-East London that delivers tenant finding, full property and tenancy management, free rental valuations, deposit registration, quarterly property inspections, and arrears recovery services to landlords in the Lewisham and Bromley boroughs. The company operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Phoenix Community Housing, with surpluses gifted back to the parent for community reinvestment.

Product overview

Home Makers (The Property People) operates as a private lettings agent and landlord in South-East London, offering a unified suite of property letting and management services. The core offering consists of lettings agent services for landlords in Lewisham and Bromley boroughs, supported by modular add-on services including free property valuation, tenant finding and referencing, tenancy deposit registration, property inventory management, quarterly inspections, arrears recovery, and access to gas servicing maintenance. The company also provides interactive tools including a draw search feature for geographic property discovery and a tenant registration system for property alerts. All services are flexible and tailored to individual landlord needs, positioned as personal, professional, and competitively priced alternatives to larger lettings agencies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lettings Agent Services
• Property Valuation
• Tenant Finding Service
• Property Management Service
• Tenancy Deposit Registration
• Gas Servicing and Maintenance Service
• Tenant Property Registration

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Tenancy Deposit SchemecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHome Makers registers all tenancy deposits with the Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS), ensuring legal compliance with deposit protection requirements.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Your Move: National UK estate and lettings agency brand owned by LSL Property Services. Offers residential lettings and management services across the UK including South-East London, competing broadly with Home Makers for landlord customers.
• Connells Group: One of the UK's largest estate and lettings agency groups, with extensive London branch coverage. Competes with Home Makers for private landlords through both high street and online channels.

Direct peers

• OpenRent: UK's largest online lettings platform connecting landlords directly with tenants. Competes head-on with Home Makers for private landlord customers in London, offering a lower-fee DIY alternative versus Home Makers' full-service model.
• Chestertons: London-headquartered estate and lettings agency with international reach. Directly comparable to Home Makers in serving residential landlords across London boroughs with full management and tenant-finding services.
• Foxtons: London-focused estate and lettings agency with strong brand recognition across the capital. Directly comparable to Home Makers in serving landlords and tenants across South-East London boroughs, with a much larger branch footprint.
• Martyn Gerrard: Independent London-focused estate and lettings agency with deep North and North-West London roots. Comparable independent-firm positioning to Home Makers in serving private landlords with full management services.
• Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward (KFH): Long-established London residential lettings and sales agent with strong presence in South and South-East London. Competes for the same private landlord and tenant segments as Home Makers.

Emerging players

• Purplebricks: Hybrid online estate/lettings agency with fixed-fee pricing. Targets cost-conscious landlords in London and elsewhere, competing on price transparency against traditional agents like Home Makers.

Regional players

• Acorn Lettings: South-East London and Kent-focused lettings and sales agency with strong local branch coverage. Closest geographic competitor to Home Makers in Lewisham, Bromley and surrounding boroughs.

Others

• Zoopla: UK property portal where Home Makers already lists its managed properties. Functions as a distribution channel and indirect competitor by aggregating listings across multiple agents on a single tenant-facing platform.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/home-makers-property-people

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Home Makers (The Property People)