Community-led housing models

Most community-led housing developments:

• are smaller scale – most are under 25 homes and some are much smaller
• are normally set up and run by local people in their communities, often with external support from housing associations, local authorities or other organisations
• provide affordable homes for rent, shared ownership or sale, on sites that are often difficult for mainstream housing providers to develop
• meet long-term local housing needs by keeping a legal or financial interest in the homes, and making sure they are always available to local people who need them
• are not-for-profit, and involve a lot of voluntary effort
• can involve new build, regeneration, or the use of existing buildings

Community land trusts

These provide affordable homes for local people in need by gaining land and holding it as a community asset. 

Housing cooperatives

Groups of people who provide and collectively manage affordable homes for themselves; as tenants or shared owners.

Co-housing schemes

People who come together to provide self-contained, private homes for themselves; but manage their scheme together and share activities, often in a communal space.

Tenant management organisations

These provide social housing tenants with collective responsibility for managing and maintaining their homes, through an agreement with a council or housing association.

Self-help housing projects

Small, community-based organisations bringing empty properties back into use, often without mainstream funding, with construction training and support being very important.

Community self-build

Local people building homes for themselves, through external support and managing the process collectively.