Housing Options Scotland

What Housing Options Scotland does

Housing Options Scotland is a Scottish registered charity (No. SC027335) and company limited by guarantee (No. SC180581), founded in 1997 and formerly known as Ownership Options in Scotland. The charity provides free housing information, advice, and one-to-one brokerage services to three defined populations across Scotland: disabled people, adults aged 55 and over, and members of the Armed Forces community (serving personnel, veterans, and their families). Its core offering is the Housing Options Broker Service, in which clients submit a Get Help online form and are assigned a dedicated broker within six weeks for as long as needed. Supplementary products include the Making Moves Interactive Tool (a guided six-step planning questionnaire for young disabled people considering independent living), the Making Moves PDF planning guide, the Military Matters specialist service for the Armed Forces community, and the Hospital Housing Clinic — an in-reach NHS Scotland partnership supporting inpatients with housing barriers to discharge. The charity operates from its Edinburgh headquarters at The Melting Pot, 15 Calton Road, with a team of approximately 14 staff and pan-Scotland delivery across digital, telephone, in-person, and event channels.

The business model is donation and grant funded: the service is free at point of use and the charity charges no fees. There is no disclosed proprietary technology — the organisation uses standard digital platforms, an online registration portal, the ReCITE Me accessibility integration, and ordinary office tools. Revenue is sourced from charitable giving and grant funding, with fundraising led by a dedicated Fundraising and Development manager. Distribution is direct-to-consumer, augmented by referrals from local authorities, housing associations, NHS Scotland, health and social care professionals, and veteran organisations. Marketing spans a content-led website, five social channels (Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram), webinars, and in-person events across major Scottish cities.

The organisation holds Living Wage Employer, Advice UK Member, Carer Positive, and Scotland Housing Awards Winner recognition. Strategic priorities evident in the data are (i) succession and team scaling in the broker function, (ii) productisation of the Making Moves self-planning toolkit, and (iii) deepening the NHS Hospital Housing Clinic model. Recent leadership transition saw Depute CEO Olivia Lindsay depart after ten years, with Jil Dyson-Fyffe succeeding into the role while retaining Senior Housing Options Broker duties.

Name

Housing Options Scotland

Legal name

Housing Options Scotland

Website

https://housingoptionsscotland.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Housing Options Scotland is a Scottish registered charity, founded in 1997, that provides free one-to-one housing advice and brokerage to disabled people, adults aged 55+, and the Armed Forces community across Scotland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Housing Advisory and Brokerage Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Other Community Housing Services (624229)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro primary industry

Housing & Placement Coordination (Assisted Living, Memory Care, SNF) (HSABAIAL)

Keywords

• Housing advisory services
• Accessible housing support
• Disability housing advice
• Veteran housing brokerage
• Older adults housing help

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Funding: As a registered charity, Housing Options Scotland operates as a free service to clients, funded through donations and charitable grants. The organization does not charge for its housing advisory services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Housing Options Scotland delivers free, personalised housing information, advice, and brokerage to disabled people, older adults aged 55+, and members of the Armed Forces community across Scotland. Clients are assigned a dedicated Housing Options Broker who works with them for as long as needed to explore accessible housing options, liaise with local authorities and housing associations, and support applications. Supplementary offerings include the Making Moves interactive planning tool, Military Matters veteran service, and an in-hospital Housing Clinic.

Product overview

Housing Options Scotland is a registered Scottish charity offering a free expert housing information, advice, and support service for disabled people, older adults (aged 55+), and members of the Armed Forces community. The organisation operates a single integrated service model built around its Housing Options Broker Service as the core offering. Clients engage through the Get Help Form (an online enquiry and registration portal that captures housing needs, current circumstances, and income details), through which they are assigned a dedicated Housing Options Broker within six weeks. Supplementary tools include the Making Moves Interactive Tool — a guided six-step planning questionnaire for young disabled people considering independent living — and the Making Moves Planning for Your Housing Future Guide, a downloadable PDF companion. The Military Matters service provides specialist housing brokerage for the Armed Forces community. A Hospital Housing Clinic service delivers in-reach support to patients in hospital settings. The service is delivered across the whole of Scotland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Military Matters: Housing Options Broker service for veterans and serving personnel from the Armed Forces community

Products and services

• Housing Options Broker Service One-to-one expert housing information, advice, and brokerage delivered by dedicated Housing Options Brokers working with disabled people, older adults aged 55+, and Armed Forces community members across Scotland for as long as needed.
• Get Help Form Online registration and enquiry portal collecting housing needs, current housing situation, income, and preferences to assign clients a dedicated Housing Options Broker within approximately six weeks.
• Making Moves Interactive Tool Guided six-step interactive questionnaire that helps young disabled people plan for independent living by exploring housing type, location, accessibility needs, features, and concerns.
• Making Moves Planning for Your Housing Future Guide Downloadable PDF planning guide designed as a conversation starter to help individuals and families identify and plan housing needs, covering affordability, accessibility, size, location, comfort, and security.
• Military Matters Specialist housing brokerage service for veterans, serving personnel, and their families, providing advice on first-time buying, private renting, social renting, and home adaptations, with liaison through veterans organisations and local authorities.
• Hospital Housing Clinic On-site support within NHS Scotland hospitals to help patients with life-changing illness or injuries plan their move back into the community by addressing unsuitable housing as a barrier to discharge.

Quantifiable outcome

• Free service provided indefinitely - clients supported for as long as needed

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Veterans ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Veterans Scotland for Armed Forces Champion Gathering events, supporting veterans with housing needs
• Local Authorities (Scotland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLiaising with local authorities across Scotland on behalf of clients to facilitate housing solutions
• Housing AssociationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking closely with housing associations across Scotland to find suitable homes for clients
• SSAFAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrevious employer of staff member with experience supporting veterans, related veteran support network
• C-Change ScotlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoard membership connection through Depute CEO, collaboration in housing sector
• NHS ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHospital Housing Clinic service supporting patients with housing needs as they plan for discharge
• Home Energy ScotlandminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for energy efficiency referrals and support for clients concerned about heating costs

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Age Scotland: Age Scotland provides advice, information and support services for older adults across Scotland, including housing-related guidance. It is a direct comparable for HOS's older-adults (55+) housing advice segment.
• Habinteg Housing Association: Habinteg is a UK specialist housing association focused on accessible and inclusive housing for disabled people. It is comparable to HOS in its accessible-housing focus, though Habinteg operates as a landlord/provider rather than an advice charity.
• SSAFA: SSAFA is the UK's oldest Armed Forces charity, providing welfare and housing-related support to serving personnel, veterans and families. It is a direct comparable for HOS's Military Matters service, including through shared personnel backgrounds.
• Shelter Scotland: Shelter Scotland is a major Scottish housing charity offering housing advice, information and support to people in housing need. It directly overlaps with HOS's housing-advice brokerage mission across Scotland, although Shelter operates at much greater scale and across a broader population.
• Royal British Legion Scotland: Poppy Scotland (part of the Royal British Legion) provides welfare, housing and benefits support to the Armed Forces community in Scotland. It is directly comparable to HOS's Military Matters service and shares the same target cohort.
• Care & Repair Scotland: Care & Repair Scotland is a Scottish charity that helps older people and disabled people repair, adapt and stay warm in their homes. It is a direct peer on the housing-adaptation and accessibility-advice dimension that HOS supports.

Broad incumbents

• Citizens Advice Scotland: Citizens Advice Scotland delivers generalist advice including housing, benefits and debt across Scotland via a network of bureaux. It is a broader incumbent that overlaps with HOS on housing-advice delivery, but lacks HOS's specialist disability and veteran focus.
• Leonard Cheshire: Leonard Cheshire is a UK-wide disability charity providing supported housing and services for disabled people. It overlaps with HOS's disabled-clients segment at a much broader national scale, but is more of a service operator than an advice broker.

Regional players

• Scottish War Blinded: Scottish War Blinded is a Scotland-based charity providing support and housing-related services to veterans with sight loss. It overlaps with HOS's Armed Forces cohort but only at the sight-loss sub-segment.

Emerging players

• Disability Rights UK: Disability Rights UK is a UK-wide charity advocating for disabled people's rights, including housing-related policy and advice. It is an adjacent comparable for HOS's disability housing-advice mission but with a more national/policy emphasis.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/HousingOpsScot
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@housingoptionsscotland7117
• Facebookfacebook.com/HousingOptionsScotland
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/housing-options-scotland
• Instagraminstagram.com/housingopsscot

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Housing Options Scotland