What is a Housing Association?
Housing associations are generally classified by the property industry as “registered social landlords”. Broadly speaking, a Housing Association is a not-for-profit organisation which owns, lets and manages housing. As a not-for-profit organisation, all funds that are raised via rent are used for the further acquisition of properties and maintenance of existing properties.
Housing associations are often but not always registered charities. Some have a particular target audience that they aim to help such as, older or disabled people. Rent is usually provided at a discount although the level of discount can often vary. Properties owned by a housing association are more commonly known as “social housing”, which generally consists of government-owned council housing and other affordable accommodation.