© 2025 News On The Block. All rights reserved.
News on the Block is a trading name of Premier Property Media Ltd.
© 2025 News On The Block. All rights reserved.
News on the Block is a trading name of Premier Property Media Ltd.
One of the UK’s largest housing and regeneration groups has called on the housing sector to be more innovative in helping millions of social housing tenants onto the property ladder.
Places for People, which is responsible for around 60,000 properties, said that the sector needed to cast off its one size fits all approach to housing and offer people greater choice, following the launch of the Hills review into social housing.
David Cowans, of Places for People said: “Large numbers of social housing tenants aspire to own their own home, yet only 5% get the opportunity to do so. John Hills’ excellent report should be the starting point for housing organisations to take up the challenge and offer social tenants greater housing choice in mixed communities to meet their changing aspirations.
“By offering people greater housing choices, based on their individual circumstances we can give people a bigger stake in their local community and help to create vibrant sustainable mixed neighbourhoods.”
Places for People has launched a range of finance products and housing options to help social tenants purchase a share in their homes. It has been piloting social homebuy since 2005. They have teamed up with the Co-operative Bank, to offer a range of flexible financial products to help people who have previously been unable to step onto the property ladder. It is the first time that a major housing organisation has teamed up with a high street bank to offer both loans and mortgages to its customers.