Force For Hope Housing Collective is an FCA-registered Community Benefit Society, established with the aim of ending the housing crisis through advancing the collective ownership of property across the UK.
Please find our society registration here. Our rules are also accessible through that link.
What does this mean?
We are a non-profit, and legally cannot use our income for anything but our stated purposes. We are democratically run through our membership, who each have one vote no matter how much they have invested into the organisation. Our directors and secretary are unpaid and we do not have any paid employees. We won’t take loans.
That means every penny you donate goes solely towards purchasing, retrofitting and then providing affordable housing across the UK.
Are you a Housing Association?
No. Our goal isn’t to slot neatly into the current system; it’s to prove that there is a viable alternative where there is no distinction between ‘social’ and ‘traditional’ housing. Housing is a right, not a commodity, and implying anything overwise is simply continuing the hegemony of the housing market as the only viable option.
How do you decide who can live in your properties?
Anyone with a right to live in the UK can. We will allocate properties on a first-come, first-served basis. However, there will be clear rules: you cannot own another residential property while living in one of our properties, you cannot generate income from our properties in any way, and you can only be a resident of one of our properties at a time. Everyone living in a property for six months a year or more must be registered there.
Will you have to pay rent?
Residents of our properties will pay only the cost of essential maintenance, legally mandated insurance and safety checks, and can choose to donate more. All internal fittings, decoration, furniture and garden work that is not a legal requirement will be the residents’ responsibility. We will generate no profit from any property – everything surplus to cost legally must be reinvested.
How much are these costs?
Typically, a UK landlord pays close to £1000 a year in maintenance, insurance and legally required safety certificates. Since we won’t be taking loans or using a letting agent, we wouldn’t expect our costs to rise much higher than that.
Let’s assume – conservatively – that costs are around £2000 a year. The average rent in the UK is £1383 a month, or £16596 a year.
Our costs would be 12% of the UK average rent. That means that with no middlemen, no profit margins and no price gouging, collectively-owned, non-profit housing could save you (and the taxpayer, where housing benefit would be applied) over £14000 a year.
How can I become a member?
You can sign up on the website by submitting a form directly to us. We’ll review it, in-line with our society rules, and get back in touch to confirm your status. Then we’ll ask you to purchase your nominal £1 share in the organisation to confirm your membership. You can also purchase further shares to invest and potentially withdraw at a later date.
If at any point you wish to leave the organisation’s membership, you can do so by contacting us at info@forceforhopehousing.com.
Do members get benefits?
Members do not get preferential access to housing, or any other material benefits. They can vote on how the organisation moves forward, and hold shares which they can later withdraw, but cannot generate interest on those shares.
Being a member is more about taking ownership and responsibility of our mission and working to advance our aims of an equitable, open and affordable housing system.