Places for People

Places for People was founded in 1965 by the North British Housing Association. Bristol Churches Housing Association joined the group in 1999, and the name was changed to Places for People Group Ltd on June 1, 2000.[2]

Places for People is made up of over 20 companies including:

• Places for People Homes, which is the Group's property management arm and responsible for 48000 homes across England and Wales
• Places for People Developments, behind a number of developments and long-term regeneration projects, involving master-planning and community consultation;
• Places for People Living+ (formerly Individual Support). They provide specialist support to elderly people with disabilities or mental health problems. The list also includes women escaping domestic abuse and homeless people; includes Kush, black and minority ethnic specialist in London;
• Places for People Neighborhoods are involved in long term sustainability of PfP neighborhoods and social benefits.
• Places for People Financial Services which offers mortgages, loans, home contents insurance, and budget advice;

Other Group companies include:

• Places for People Capital Markets
• Places for People Landscapes
• Places for People Green Services
• Places for People International
• Cotman Housing Association
• Castle Rock Edinvar
• Chorus
• Derwent Living
• Touchstone
• Places for People Leisure
• Girlings Retirement Rentals
• Allenbuild
• ZeroC
• Residential Management Group (RMG)
• Places for People Scotland
• Places for People Scotland Care and Support[3]

Procurement Hub, a public procurement consortium, is also part of Places for People.[4]

Housing groups borrow money to pay for new homes and improvements. Like other large housing groups, PfP raises money from investors by issuing corporate bonds in its own name.[5]

As the late-2000s financial crisis progressed, first-time buyers had difficulty in obtaining bank mortgages. PfP was the first housing group to respond by providing mortgages for shared ownership or 100% buyers on its own developments.[6]

In April 2008, PfP launched the Ownhome equity loan scheme in partnership with the Co-operative Bank. This was aimed at enabling first time buyers, key workers and occupants of social housing to purchase homes on the open market through a combination of a standard cooperative bank mortgage for between 60-80% of the value with the balance funded via an equity loan from Places for People. The scheme ended in April 2010.

In 2010 the group recorded a £25 million impairment in the value of its assets, the largest write-down by a UK housing association up to that date.[7]

PfP raised the social housing sector's first unsecured UK bond in May 2011.[8]

PfP has won Landlord of the Year twice at Property Week's RESI awards, in 2012 and 2014.

• Places for People website
• Latest inspection report by the Audit Commission, March 2010
• "Places for People Neighbourhoods, registered charity no. 505813". Charity Commission for England and Wales. (charitable subsidiary)