In 2019, my mum, Rebecca Reid and I started Living Concepts while I was still working for Royal Mail. Our first rent-to-rent property was a seven-bedroom HMO in Liverpool.
At the time, I thought things were going well, but deep down, I knew they weren’t. Like many, I convinced myself that everything was fine, even when it clearly wasn’t.
The following year, we took on a failed student HMO in Lincoln, gave it a new lease of life, and rented it to professionals.
This experience sparked an idea—what if we started renting to tenants on Universal Credit? By 2021, we partnered with South Kesteven District Council (SKDC), marking the beginning of a long-term collaboration that has now lasted over five years.
Fast forward to 2025, and today we support several 89 tenancies for individuals who would otherwise be homeless, and various councils and organizations in the East-Midlands and other parts of the country.
By the end of February, we will have seven more bedspaces available, but we have no plans to slow down. This year, we are committed to launching a Supported Temporary Accommodation service to help move people out of temporary housing. Additionally, we plan to consult on a Floating Support Service, leveraging property relationships to secure stable homes for more people. We are also investing in our own assets to provide permanent housing solutions and developing Supported Housing Schemes tailored to those in need.
There is still so much to do, but we are determined to keep pushing forward and expanding our impact.