Pocket Living

The SME housebuilding sector is at a tipping point. With time running out, urgent action is needed if we want to save the sector and help the government deliver on its pledge to build 1.5 million new homes. That’s why earlier this week our Managing Director, Paul Rickard, convened a working group of leading SME developers and senior officials from MHCLG. Together, they began devising practical, implementable policy solutions to tackle the barriers SME housebuilders face - helping us to build at scale and attract new entrants to the market. Restoring the sector to the size it was 40 years ago as a proportion of the wider for-sale market is no small task, but it’s essential if we want a sustainable housing sector. There’s more to follow in due course, but it’s fair to say we’ve made a very constructive start.

Available from Pocket Living, Discount Full Ownership is a scheme designed to make homeownership more accessible for middle-income buyers in London. Interested in finding out more? Check out our tenure hub on Share to Buy: 👉 https://bit.ly/4hsOSY8 Want to list your homes on the country's leading affordable homeownership property portal? Get in touch with the team at listings@sharetobuy.com. #discountfullownership #sharetobuy #homeownership

WT celebrated the practical completion achieved for Pocket Living’s, Sheepcote Road project in Harrow, London at the start of the year. WT were involved with the procurement of separate contracts for the demolition and new build works. WT London provided the following services, Phillip Jemmison FRICS FAPM and Carter Southgate, Employer's Agent, Robert O'Shea, Quantity Surveying and Ruth Offer, Principal Designer to this project. The demolition of the former vacated Halfords store commenced in 2022, paving the way for the construction of a £25m residential development. Completed in January 2025, the new building features 149 single-bedroom flats, 15 of which are wheelchair accessible, and rises to eight floors. Its main structure employs a continental frame design, where all floors, as well as external and internal walls, are cast in-situ concrete. This approach eliminates the need for a building frame and reduces the slab-to-slab height.   This milestone marks the delivery of 149 beautifully designed, high-quality, and affordable homes for local first-time buyers, helping them take that crucial first step onto the property ladder. With the first residents moved in, we are delighted to see this community thrive. WT are proud to have worked beside a talented team with client, Pocket Living, contractor Legendre UK,  architect, Threefold Architects and Foreman Roberts, Avison Young │ UK, BD landscape architects and Heyne Tillett Steel. #AffordableHomes #FirstTimeBuuyers #SheepcoteRoad #Harrow #WTLondon  

This #InternationalWomensDay, we’re shining a light on the amazing women across Pocket Living - both in our team and among our contractors - who help us deliver affordable homes for first time buyers. Your work shapes communities, and we’re proud to have you as part of the journey. 💪💜 #WomenInProperty #IWD

We’ve spent nearly 20 years making homeownership more accessible for London’s first time buyers, and now we’re turning our focus to the rental market. Our new sharer homes will offer secure, high-quality rentals designed for city living - giving more Londoners a place to call home. Our Chief Development Officer, Thomasin Renshaw, recently spoke with Future of London about how we’re innovating in the rental space. Read the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/eQEBXaKs

London’s unaffordable housing market has pushed young people out of the city, but compact homes specialist Pocket Living was set up to change that. We are delighted that Pocket Living has joined Future of London as our newest member organisation. Founded by Marc Vlessing in 2004, the innovative SME developer has since built 1,700 affordable one-bedroom homes across 19 boroughs, giving first-time buyers a shot at staying in London. With high-density, space-efficient designs, Pocket’s developments replace private balconies with shared spaces for working and socialising, fostering community. Now, with Marc Vlessing as chair and CEO Paul Rickard, the company is developing a new build-to-rent offer. “We’ve been thinking about how we can innovate in the rental space, because it’s becoming harder in the same way as it was hard to access the sales market,” says chief development officer Thomasin Renshaw (pictured). Pocket's new ‘sharer homes’ will offer high-quality, secure rentals with individual tenancies —what Thomasin calls “a good HMO.” She adds: “People can have a tenancy agreement for as long as they want, and they don’t have to cover anybody else’s rent.” Find out more about in our interview with Thomasin via the link in the comments below. Images of the Forest Road development in Waltham Forest courtesy of Pocket Living. #FutureOfLondon #AffordableHousing #BuildToRent

Last week, we had the pleasure of hosting an insightful first time buyer event in collaboration with Barclays, Censeo Financial and an Independent Mortgage Advisor. 🏡💼 As we all know, it's a challenging time for first time buyers in London, so we were excited to share the details of Barclays' Joint Borrower Sole Proprietor mortgage option. This approach allows you to combine the income of someone you know with your own to increase your mortgage affordability, helping many unlock the door to homeownership. The evening was filled with engaging conversations, plenty of questions, and a chance for attendees to connect with mortgage advisors and the Pocket team. A big thank you to everyone who joined us! #PocketLiving #FirstTimeBuyer #LondonHomes #MortgageAdvice #AffordableHousing #JointBorrowerSoleProprietor #Barclays #CityMakers #HomeOwnership

Last week, we hosted a First Time Buyers Event with Pocket Living, Barclays, and an Independent Mortgage advisor where we explored the Barclays’ Joint Borrower Sole Proprietor mortgage option. This mortgage type can help increase affordability by allowing buyers to add the income of someone they know to boost their borrowing potential. It was great to see so many people engaging with our panel discussion, asking thoughtful questions, and learning more about their options. A big thank you to Barclays’ mortgage advisors for being on hand to provide tailored advice and to the Pocket Living team for showcasing how their one-bedroom homes offer an affordable path to homeownership in London. Thank you to Taz Begum for being a phenomenal host ❤️ Regina Tetteh Jennifer Anson Matt Aston Dane Wilcox Karen Wilson Nicole Rudland Sharona Piontak-wheeler #barclayscentrallondon

Last week was different from the typical day at the office! It’s not every day that I get to witness the plans materialize. I had the opportunity to visit two of the Pocket Living developments in London, and it was truly remarkable to see the creativity and thoughtful details that went into designing both sites. It was a wonderful experience. Thank you for allowing me to explore the uniqueness of pocket homes!

The UK Real Estate Industry is Changing – But Who’s Leading the Charge? 🔹 Robots building houses 🔹 Data centres replacing warehouses 🔹 Homes that generate more energy than they consume The UK property industry is evolving fast. But while some businesses are still stuck in the past, others are rewriting the rulebook. 💡 I’ve rounded up 10 of the most innovative companies shaking up UK real estate – from proptech pioneers to sustainable housebuilders. 🏗 1. Automated Architecture (AUAR) – Can robots solve the housing crisis? AUAR is using robotic arms to prefabricate timber homes, reducing construction waste and speeding up the build process. 🌱 2. Flawk – Turning underused urban spaces into small, beautifully designed homes with a focus on local materials and craftsmanship. 🏡 3. Pocket Living – Tackling London’s affordability crisis by building compact, high-quality apartments priced 20% below market value. ⚡ 4. Tritax Big Box REIT – Expanding beyond logistics to AI-powered data centers, recognizing that demand for digital infrastructure is skyrocketing. 📊 5. LandlordInvest – The UK’s first peer-to-peer property lending platform, allowing individuals to invest directly in real estate-backed loans. 🔄 6. OpenRent – Revolutionising property rentals, making it easier for landlords and tenants to connect without traditional letting agents. 🌍 7. Woodbourne Group – Behind Curzon Wharf, the world’s first net-zero carbon mixed-use development in Birmingham. 🏢 8. Houseful – The force behind Zoopla, Hometrack, and Alto, helping digitise the real estate sector with data-driven insights. 🔨 9. GS8 – Building planet-positive homes, focusing on carbon reduction and energy efficiency from day one. 🔗 10. Kinland – A developer creating sustainable communities, not just houses, by integrating green spaces and natural materials. Are there any others that have caught your attention?