What Simple Life Homes does

Simple Life Homes is a UK build-to-rent operator that owns and professionally manages purpose-built residential properties for the long term. Founded in 2016 as part of the Sigma Capital Group, the company has grown to a portfolio of over 5,500 homes across 30+ neighbourhoods in 26+ counties, spanning the North West, North East, South West, South East, West Midlands, East Midlands, Wales and Scotland. Housing stock ranges from one-bedroom apartments to five-bedroom family houses with private gardens, all delivered to a standardised new-build specification with integrated appliances and energy-efficient design.

The business operates a dual landlord-and-manager model: Sigma Capital Property Ltd trades as 'Simple Life' and is the primary operating entity, while Simple Life Management Limited acts as the managing agent. Resident-facing technology centres on the My Simple Life mobile app, which delivers a 24/7 home hub for maintenance logging, direct messaging with the resident liaison team, neighbourhood news, exclusive brand offers and a resident community forum. Third-party managing agents (Ascend Estates, Direct Lettings Scotland, Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward) provide regional on-the-ground service, and tenant referencing is outsourced to Let Alliance.

The go-to-market is sales-led with a strong community overlay: dedicated agents handle enquiries and accept pre-completion reservations, while a full calendar of resident events (Simple Fest, Simple Life Sounds, Big Bakes, outdoor cinema, the Christmas Simple Express) and lifestyle content (Home Truths podcast, blog, Trustpilot reviews) drive organic demand. Revenue is generated principally through monthly rental payments (£600–£2,500+ pcm), supported by ancillary property management services; institutional capital backing is provided through The PRS REIT plc via Sigma PRS Management Ltd.

Name

Simple Life Homes

Legal name

Simple Life Management Limited

Website

https://simplelifehomes.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Simple Life Homes is a UK build-to-rent operator owning and professionally managing over 5,500 purpose-built rental homes across 30+ neighbourhoods in 26+ counties, serving families, professionals and diverse-income renters via the Simple Life brand and its My Simple Life app.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Residential Property Rental: The company operates as a build-to-rent landlord, offering new build houses and apartments exclusively for private rent. Revenue is generated through monthly rental payments from residents. The company provides purpose-built homes professionally managed for the long term, with tenants typically paying monthly rent plus security deposit. Bills are not included in rent - residents are responsible for their own utilities, council tax, TV license, and contents insurance.
2. Professional Property Management Services: The company manages properties throughout the tenant lifecycle from acquisition of land, through build to letting and ongoing property management. The company acts as both landlord and property manager, providing maintenance services, customer service, and community management.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Simple Life Homes is a build-to-rent provider that owns, develops, and manages a portfolio of over 5,500 purpose-built new-build houses and apartments across 26+ UK counties for long-term private rental. The company offers one-bedroom apartments to five-bedroom family homes with private gardens, professionally managed by in-house teams with the My Simple Life mobile app serving as a 24/7 resident hub for maintenance, community, and resident services.

Product overview

Simple Life Homes is a build-to-rent provider offering a portfolio of purpose-built residential properties across the UK. The core offering consists of newly constructed houses and apartments available exclusively for private rent, ranging from one-bedroom apartments to five-bedroom family homes. These homes are professionally managed with fixtures, fittings, and integrated appliances included as standard. The product ecosystem is anchored by the My Simple Life App, a resident-facing mobile application that serves as a 24/7 hub for maintenance requests, community engagement, and access to exclusive discounts. Supporting the core rental offering are complementary tools including an Affordability Calculator for prospective tenants and the Home Truths Podcast for brand engagement. Simple Life London operates as a distinct sub-brand focused on the London market.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• My Simple Life App: A 24/7 mobile application serving as a home hub for residents, enabling maintenance requests, direct messaging, appliance manuals, community forum, neighborhood news and events, and exclusive discounts from brands.
• Home Truths Podcast
• Simple Life London

Products and services

• Build-to-Rent Homes New-build houses and apartments rented exclusively to private tenants, ranging from one-bedroom apartments to five-bedroom family homes with private gardens. Located across 26+ UK counties including Bedfordshire, Bristol, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, and Scotland. Each home comes with high-quality fixtures, integrated appliances, and 12-month developer warranties. Prices range from £600 to £2,500+ per calendar month.
• My Simple Life App A 24/7 mobile home hub connecting residents to maintenance requests, essential documents, exclusive brand discounts, neighbourhood news, resident community forum, and direct messaging with support teams. Available to residents of Simple Life properties.
• Affordability Calculator A free online tool allowing prospective tenants to estimate the maximum monthly rent they can afford based on household income, benefits, CCJs, and guarantor details. Uses formulas including (household income + benefits) x 0.3/12 = max monthly rent, or with guarantor (household income + benefits) x 0.36/12.
• Home Truths Podcast A branded podcast series hosted by Alex and Nav featuring real residents and Simple Life team members discussing topics about renting, lifestyle, community, relationships, and milestones. Available via podcast platforms and the Simple Life website.
• Simple Life London A London-focused build-to-rent sub-brand offering new-build homes for private rent in the London market, operated by London BTR Investments LP and managed by Sigma Capital Property Ltd.

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% of residents are happy with their home after a year
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• White RosecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Clothes bank partnership since 2019 where White Rose takes unwanted clothes from developments and resells or recycles them to reduce landfill. In 2022, offset 24,070kg of CO2 emissions and generated £36,778 for charity through this partnership.
• The Outward Bound TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with The Outward Bound Trust to help young people build confidence, resilience, and leadership skills through outdoor experiences in the Lake District. Invests in the next generation through community initiatives.
• Ascend Estates LimitedcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party managing agent providing tenant management services. Listed as a data controller of information they provide. Operates across multiple regions for the company.
• Direct Lettings (Scotland) LimitedcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party managing agent providing tenant management services in Scotland. Listed as a data controller of information they provide.
• Kinleigh Folkard and Hayward (KFH)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party managing agent providing tenant management services. Listed as a data controller of information they provide. KFH is part of the estate agency and lettings sector.
• Let AlliancecoreTechnology or IntegrationExternal referencing provider used for tenant referencing and background checks. Handles secure online referencing for all rental applications within 2-14 days.
• LOFT InteriorsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFurniture partner for some apartment schemes. LOFT Interiors provides fully furnished apartments in select locations as an alternative to unfurnished properties.
• David PhilipsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerShow home design partnership creating beautifully designed, styled homes that combine style, comfort, and functionality for prospective residents.
• FiiTminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFitness partnership providing residents with access to health and wellness resources. Addresses time constraints and personal health commitments for residents.
• smolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCleaning products partnership offering award-winning, high-performance, innovative cleaning product formulations delivered to residents.
• Kellen HomescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorth West housebuilder partnership where Kellen Homes hands over new homes to Simple Life. The successful partnership reached milestone in Gorton with first phase handover.
• The GatewayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity centre partnership at The Gateway development in Manchester. Simple Life met with Manchester councillors for completion of the newly completed development and community centre.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• British Land: UK REIT with a growing build-to-rent platform (e.g., Aldgate Place) and broader mixed-use development activity; competes for the same institutional BTR capital and developer relationships as Simple Life, though its portfolio is broader than pure BTR.
• L&Q: One of the UK's largest housing associations operating across affordable and private rented housing; overlaps with Simple Life's tenancy-accessible model (Universal Credit, self-employed) and competes in mid-market family rental.
• Legal & General (Capital / Affordable Homes): Large institutional investor and developer in UK BTR and later-living through Legal & General Capital and L&G Affordable Homes; operates at broader scale than Simple Life and is a competing buyer of UK BTR assets and developer partnerships.

Direct peers

• Grainger plc: The UK's largest listed residential landlord with a multi-thousand-home PRS portfolio focused on urban BTR; comparable business model and customer base to Simple Life's family-focused rental offering.
• Quintain: UK build-to-rent developer and operator, best known for Wembley Park (5,000+ homes); operates purpose-built rental homes with on-site amenity and service-led operating model — directly comparable to Simple Life's BTR family-home rental approach.
• Greystar: Global leader in rental housing operating across the UK with multiple BTR schemes; comparable as a professionally managed institutional residential operator competing in the same UK BTR pipeline.
• Get Living: One of the largest UK BTR operators (East Village, Elephant & Castle, Lewisham), providing purpose-built rental homes with strong community programming and digital resident engagement — a directly comparable operating model to Simple Life.
• PRS REIT plc: Listed UK REIT investing in newly-built family homes for the private rental sector — the institutional capital partner and the closest publicly comparable portfolio to the homes Simple Life operates under management.
• Long Harbour (now Convey): UK residential investment platform that built a multi-thousand-home family-focused private rental portfolio with institutional investors, very similar to Simple Life's family-home BTR positioning and tenant mix.
• Telford + Robertson (Telford Homes): UK residential developer with a dedicated build-to-rent platform creating new-build homes specifically for the PRS market; comparable as a vertically integrated developer/operator active in the same mid-market UK BTR segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLOAmBcz_HtglvPWKZGJWa9bsoEKUswbuU
• Instagraminstagram.com/simplelifehomes
• TikToktiktok.com/@simplelifehomes
• Facebookfacebook.com/simpleliferentalhomes
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/simple-life-btr

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Simple Life Homes