Hertfordshire landlord lands £100m of new funding as merger decision nears

The 509 homes bought by Watford Community Housing are located in Dacorum, St Albans, Three Rivers and Watford. They are mostly general needs homes for social or affordable rent, with some shared ownership and leasehold properties. The portfolio also includes a small community hub.

Watford Community Housing is a community gateway association, so residents transferred from NHG will have the opportunity to become members of the organisation and vote in its annual general meeting.

The Hertfordshire landlord is in talks with Thrive Homes, another community gateway association, over a proposed merger that would create a 14,000-home landlord. A decision on the merger is expected this week.

If the deal goes through, residents in the former NHG homes will transfer to the new organisation, retaining their voting rights.

Tina Barnard, chief executive of Watford Community Housing, said: “As an established provider of homes in Hertfordshire, we are delighted to take on these homes from Notting Hill Genesis.

“It provides us with a great opportunity to strengthen our local presence and to deliver our high-quality services to more customers.”

For NHG, the sale is part of a stock rationalisation programme to allow it to focus on its London properties.

Matthew Cornwall-Jones, chief homes officer at NHG, said: “We’re pleased to have worked closely with Watford Community Housing to complete the transfer of more than 500 homes in Hertfordshire.

“This partnership ensures our residents will benefit from a landlord with local roots, strong community relationships and a proven commitment to high-quality services.

“The sale forms part of our wider strategic programme to transfer homes outside London to better-placed, more local organisations, ensuring a better experience for all our residents.”