Crisis set out plans in November 2025 to become a not-for-profit landlord, adding direct ownership to its work helping people find secure accommodation. The charity said it intended to start buying one-bedroom homes in London and Newcastle from 2026.
Its initial ambition was to purchase 100 homes over three years, rising to at least 1,000 over a decade. These were targets announced by the organisation, not homes already acquired or occupied at the time of the statement.
Crisis said the decision reflected growing difficulty finding genuinely affordable, settled housing for people using its services. The charity intended to work alongside councils, housing associations, existing landlords and other partners, while developing its own supply.
The November announcement also said a limited company had been established and a targeted fundraising appeal was being planned. People with experience of homelessness were contributing to the development of policies and procedures.
Direct ownership was one element of a wider approach. In October 2025, Crisis and Homes for Good had launched Good Place Lettings, a separate social enterprise agency in London. That venture managed properties for landlords at both market and affordable rents, including homes let to people receiving housing benefit.
The two initiatives should not be confused. A lettings agency manages homes for their owners; the proposed landlord programme involved Crisis purchasing properties. Both sought to improve access, but they used different routes and carried different responsibilities.
For the property sector, the announcement raised a practical question about how more settled homes could become available to people excluded from existing options. Acquisitions can add to an organisation’s housing supply without necessarily increasing the overall number of dwellings.
This archive report records the plans as announced in November 2025. It does not claim that the purchase targets have since been achieved, or that an individual applicant is entitled to a property through either initiative.