Pocket Living

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?

Our MD, Paul Rickard, joined Will Bain on BBC Radio 5 Wake up to Money this morning to discuss the latest affordable housing funding announcement and what’s needed to tackle the housing crisis. Listen here at 06:10 👇 #AffordableHousing #HousingCrisis #SMEBuilders

Welcome back! It’s been a busy start to February, here’s a look at what we’ve been up to this week: 🎉 We kicked off the week with a birthday celebration followed by a creative marketing team painting workshop. 🔥 Our CEO, William Newton, sat down for an insightful fireside chat with Marc Vlessing, co-founder and chair of Pocket Living. They discussed the challenges and importance of affordable housing, with a deep dive into Pocket’s unique focus on affordable housing for the squeezed middle in London. 🏓 Some of the team got competitive with a fun game of padel, followed by a walk around the iconic Battersea Power Station. A perfect way to unwind and take in the sights! Thanks for catching up with us! Be sure to come back next week for more updates and highlights.

It was a pleasure to be invited to attend the opening of the recently completed affordable housing scheme in London Borough of Harrow Council for Pocket Living last week. The new building stands proudly at the end of Harrow High Street, respectful of the surrounding townscape, complementary in colour and texture, yet with a distinct character of its own. Beautifully detailed, its facade creates depth and warmth, while the generous entrance and shared workspace for residents activate the ground floor. The homes are compact yet perfectly planned, offering excellent natural light and far reaching city views. External spaces play an integral role in the building's design, with allotment gardens, double-height bridges, shared cloister gardens, and a generous rooftop garden creating a variety of landscapes for residents to enjoy. Foreman Roberts were proud to support this project and help our clients to deliver on their vision. Here are a few photos from the opening event attended by our Director, Lee Hardy. #ForemanRoberts #AffordableHousing #ResidentialDevelopment #PocketLiving #MEP #Design