News

Pinnacle Group expands partnership with Zen Housing at landmark Camden scheme

Pinnacle Group has expanded its growing partnership with Zen Housing, a for-profit registered provider (FPRP), with the addition of 60 Intermediate Rent apartments at Camden Goods Yard, a landmark regeneration development in North London providing much-needed affordable homes.

The homes are located at Market House, part of the wider Camden Goods Yard scheme, which is transforming a former industrial site into a vibrant mixed-use neighbourhood close to Chalk Farm and Primrose Hill.

The scheme has already proved exceptionally popular, attracting more than 600 applications from the highest-priority applicant group alone, with all 60 homes expected to be fully let this month.

"The response to these homes has been remarkable and reflects the reality of London's housing challenge. Every affordable home delivered makes a real difference, giving people the security of a quality home and the chance to put down roots in one of London's most vibrant new communities. We're proud to be growing our partnership with Zen Housing and supporting its ambition to deliver well-managed, affordable homes in places where people want to live and work."

Claire Kober
Managing Director – Homes at Pinnacle Group

The Camden Goods Yard scheme takes Pinnacle's portfolio on behalf of Zen Housing to 400 homes, emphasising the rapid growth of the partnership and shared commitment to delivering high-quality affordable housing nationwide.

The company has also recently taken handover of a further 85 Zen homes in New Malden, South West London, with the remaining 60 coming under the company's management in the coming months.

A Zen Housing spokesperson said: "Camden Goods Yard is a fantastic example of what strong partnerships can achieve. As of June, Zen Housing has delivered 448 affordable homes, and we're committed to continuing that momentum by providing high-quality homes in well-connected, thriving communities. We're pleased to be working alongside Pinnacle Group to ensure residents enjoy a positive experience from the day they move in."

The expansion further strengthens Pinnacle's position as a leading housing management partner for the growing FPRP sector. The company has now become the manager of choice for around a quarter of all for-profit registered providers registered with the Regulator of Social Housing, reflecting its growing reputation for delivering high-quality, resident-focused housing management services nationwide.

Pinnacle helps kick off Hyde’s Summer of Football

Pinnacle is proud to be supporting Hyde's Summer of Football initiative, helping deliver 1,800 footballs to community organisations across England and creating new opportunities for children and young people to get active.  

The footballs are being distributed to around 40 community organisations across 17 regions, helping local groups encourage play, physical activity and social connection within their communities.  

As part of the project, Pinnacle colleagues have provided transport and logistical support, ensuring footballs reach community organisations, schools and local groups safely and efficiently.  

The initiative reflects a shared commitment between Hyde and Pinnacle to creating thriving communities and supporting the organisations that make a difference locally.  

Building on Hyde's investment in the balls, Pinnacle has created a Community Prize Programme designed to maximise community impact and leave a lasting legacy.  

Community organisations receiving footballs will have the opportunity to win a range of prizes that promote participation, wellbeing and community connection.  

The programme includes two gold community prizes, featuring large-scale family football festivals and ongoing sporting activities; four silver community prizes to support local sport and play opportunities; and six bronze community prizes providing additional footballs and activity resources.  

The gold community prize events, planned for later this year, will bring together residents, community groups and local partners for family-focused celebrations featuring sport, activities, wellbeing support and volunteering opportunities.  

"We're proud to support Hyde's Summer of Football initiative and play our part in creating opportunities for children, families and communities across the country.
While our colleagues have helped ensure the footballs reach the organisations that need them, we're also excited to build on Hyde's investment through our Community Prize Programme. By bringing together residents, local organisations and community partners, we're helping to create opportunities that encourage healthier lifestyles, stronger connections and a lasting community legacy."

Peregrine Lloyd
Group Chief Executive

The project forms part of Pinnacle's wider commitment to delivering social value and creating positive impact in the communities we serve. 

Pinnacle joins Hyde’s school uniform campaign to support families

Pinnacle is this year supporting the Hyde Group’s school uniform campaign by sending vouchers to eligible residents of Pinnacle Spaces and Pinnacle Affordable Homes, our two registered providers. 

Hyde, who made a strategic investment in Pinnacle 18 months ago, ran the campaign for the first time last year, to help families with the cost of school uniform. 

This year, the programme has been extended to Pinnacle residents, meaning more families can benefit.

The offer includes both primary and secondary school children, with eligible residents receiving a voucher worth £50 per child, which can be spent online with school uniform supplier Trutex Ltd.

Last year alone, the programme supported over 1,000 families with primary school aged children to buy over 8,000 items of school uniform.  

Claire Kober, Managing Director for Homes, said: “For families with school-age children, the start of a new academic year can bring significant additional costs, and uniform is often one of the biggest pressures.

Being part of the Hyde Group means we can bring this established support to Pinnacle residents for the first time, helping parents and carers access the essentials their children need for school.”

Pinnacle marks Armed Forces Week

Armed Forces Week has been an opportunity for us to recognise the dedication of those who serve and the wider community that supports them. 

We’re proud to have many veterans, reservists, cadet force volunteers and military family members working across our company. As a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award, we are committed to supporting the armed forces community in everything we do. 

Through our work supporting more than 49,000 service family homes across the UK on behalf of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), we play an important role in helping create stable, supportive communities. 

Supporting service families 

As a Housing Officer, Paula brings deep professional expertise but also a personal connection to the military community at RAF Cranwell. 

“I’ve worked in housing since 1999, including social housing, but supporting service families is something special,” she says.  

Her visible, hands-on approach has made her a trusted and familiar presence for residents – with returning families often greeting her with: “I’m so glad it’s you.” 

Celebrating cadets and volunteers 

One of the 25,000 adult volunteers across the country is our Housing Officer Gerald Lawton – or Captain Lawton to his Army Cadets. 

He recently spent a week at Otterburn Training Camp alongside 700 cadets and 147 instructors.  

Acting as Commander of the National Corps of Drums, he supported cadets as they developed their skills, confidence and teamwork, culminating in a Beating the Retreat performance. 

Two roles, one purpose 

Regional Manager Kayleigh Pennington balances leading services for 16,500 homes with her role as an RAF Reservist. 

As she explains: “Whether I’m in my corporate dress or in uniform, the focus is the same – supporting people. My civilian role is about creating stability and support for military communities. My reservist role challenges me in different ways; teamwork, adaptability and operational readiness.” 

Kayleigh is also featured in the RAF’s Reserves Day film, showcasing the role of reservists across the UK. 

Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZuKMQxK9ws8   

Claire Kober on why the sector must map the politics as carefully as planning policy

When putting pen to paper for this column, the age-old adage that a week is a long time in politics has rarely felt more accurate. The story of the day was the local elections, but in short order that narrative has widened into a potential national leadership contest, a by-election and fresh speculation about the shape of local leadership.

What is unmistakable is the scale of change. Reform UK surged by around 1,450 councillors, Labour lost around 1,500, the Conservatives were down more than 560 and the Greens were up more than 440. With Reform and the Greens collectively outpolling Labour and the Conservatives, the decline of traditional parties continues as voting behaviour fragment further. Just as important as the party arithmetic is the map: more councils now sit in No Overall Control (NOC), and more places have shifted political colour or moved from single-party control.

For the sector, this matters because elections don’t just change the politics, they change the process. Planning is a quasi-judicial system, but it is also a democratic one, and it runs on relationships, member confidence and institutional memory. When you combine political churn with a large cohort of brand-new councillors, the immediate effect can often be greater friction in decision-making.

New councillors, understandably, want to demonstrate visibility and responsiveness to the electorate. One of the quickest ways to do that is to make sure applications that would ordinarily be signed off under delegated powers are instead heard in public at planning committee. ‘Call-in’ powers vary by authority, but the practical outcome is similar: more schemes go to committee, more items are deferred and more officer time is pulled into additional reports, briefings and presentations.

In NOC councils, those dynamics are amplified. Committee chairs and cabinets can change quickly, informal ways of working have to be renegotiated, and the margin for misunderstanding widens when members are still learning what is (and isn’t) a material planning consideration. It can also take time for a new administration to form in NOC authorities, which can elongate decision-making in the early weeks as roles, priorities and governance arrangements settle.

Across housing and development organisations, that churn is being felt immediately. Council leaders, housing portfolio-holders and scrutiny chairs may have changed but so too have ward councillors who are often the first port of call for residents. In practice, that means two things: more member interest in live planning decisions – including a greater willingness to call-in, question or vote against applications as a visible sign of responsiveness – and a likely increase in day-to-day casework as new members begin picking up resident issues.

To my mind, the property sector’s response should be equally practical: track who has been elected, reach out early and make it easy for new members to understand your footprint in their wards – what you manage, what you are building and the quickest way to get the right issue to the right person. Clear, consistent routes for contact and escalation become just as important as the planning strategy, particularly in the first few months of a new council term.

Given the other shift is political breadth, engagement needs to widen. For years, many in the sector have built their local engagement playbooks around Labour and Conservative-led administrations. With Reform and the Greens increasing their representation in many places, alongside greater political fragmentation, there are less tested delivery programmes. The onus is on us to explain, plainly and locally, how housing proposals translate into resident outcomes: affordability, management standards, retrofit, design quality, infrastructure and long-term stewardship.

The overall procedural slowdown also lands at an awkward moment nationally. The government’s headline ambition is to deliver 1.5 million homes over this Parliament. Regardless of how achievable it seems, delivery hinges on up-to-date local plans, well-briefed committees and decisions being made at pace. A system that is more fragmented politically, with more first-time members and more committee churn, makes that harder to achieve.

It is tempting, particularly in the first weeks of a new administration, for some councillors, depending on their politics and pre-election campaigns, to think that local people are anti-development. The picture is more nuanced. Research by More in Common suggests the public does not see housing and environmental concerns as mutually exclusive. In fact, half agree the government can both build new homes and protect nature, and people tend to judge development case-by-case rather than oppose it as a matter of principle. However, in an age of identity politics where pragmatism is in short supply, focusing on the human benefits of development – the difference it makes to individuals, families and communities, must surely be part of the solution.

The message for the sector is clear: if schemes arrive framed as ‘growth at all costs’, they will struggle. But where proposals are genuinely place-led, take local infrastructure into account and are broadly nature-positive, there is political and public permission to proceed. 

So, what should the sector do now? First, map the politics as carefully as the planning policy: understand who is new, who chairs committee and where informal coalitions sit. 

Second, invest early in member engagement and briefings that focus on material considerations, viability, design quality and deliverable mitigation. The aim should be to help councillors feel confident, not cornered. 

Third, expect longer timetables and build that into transactions and programmes; a committee route is not failure, it is often the new normal. Finally, treat nature and affordability as core components of the offer, not bolt-ons. In a fast-changing local government landscape, the winners will be those who make it easiest for newly elected members to say ‘yes’ in public – because schemes are demonstrably good, and the decision is defensible.

Claire Kober

Managing Director (Homes), Pinnacle Group

This article was originally featured in Property Week, on 19th May 2026.

Pinnacle Group expands property management portfolio with commercial mandate supporting nearly 200 community assets

Pinnacle Group will expand its property management services with the addition of nearly 200 commercial properties to its portfolio, strengthening its role as a market-leading provider of integrated housing, neighbourhood and workplace solutions.

The new instruction sees Pinnacle managing a diverse range of commercial and community-facing properties on behalf of Hyde Group, following Hyde’s strategic investment into Pinnacle in October 2024. Pinnacle’s role will involve income collection, lease management, rent collection and compliance reporting.

The commercial properties span a broad mix of uses that play a vital role in local communities, including children’s centres and nurseries, community centres, dance studios and offices, as well as a wide variety of retail and service units. These range from grocers, butchers, bakeries and cake shops to hair and beauty salons, opticians, post offices and supermarkets.

Geographically, the portfolio is concentrated in London, with additional properties located across Kent, the wider South of England, and Peterborough. Together, the sites represent a diverse and active estate that supports both local economies and essential community services.

“This commercial property instruction demonstrates the growing scope and breadth of Pinnacle’s management capacity & capability. This new contract is a strong reflection of our evolving partnership with the Hyde Group and our shared commitment to creating well managed places that support thriving communities.”

Jim Saunders
Group Business Development Director

Andy Hulme, Group Chief Executive Officer of the Hyde Group, commented: “This instruction builds on our growing combined offer with Pinnacle Group. Their expertise in managing complex, mixed-use environments gives us confidence that these assets will be managed to a high standard, supporting thriving community spaces and strengthening our collective offer to clients and customers.”

Operating across a portfolio of over 10,000 delivery sites and nearly 80,000 homes, Pinnacle Group delivers services nationwide, with a footprint that spans everything from small rural communities to major metropolitan centres in the country’s key cities.

The expanded mandate further broadens Pinnacle Group’s operational scope, drawing on its established expertise in managing complex, mixed use environments and customer focused services, while reinforcing its long term growth strategy.

Pinnacle Group delivers sustained growth across homes, neighbourhoods and workplaces

During the 2025–26 financial year (April 2025 to March 2026), Pinnacle Group secured over £70 million of new contracts (total contract value), reflecting continued confidence in its ability to deliver high‑quality housing management, neighbourhood and workplace solutions across the UK.

These successes supported a significant expansion of Pinnacle’s housing operations. Over the year, the Group extended its nationwide housing portfolio by more than 3,000 homes, bringing the total to over 78,000 homes under management.

https://youtu.be/qsVD-Czwt4o

Growth was driven by a series of new appointments and partnership extensions with local authorities, affordable housing investors and neighbourhoods contracts, including further expansion with Legal & General Affordable Homes, where Pinnacle now manages over 5,000 homes – more than 70% of their total portfolio.

The Group also strengthened relationships with partners such as Morgan-Stanley backed Flint Housing and Pears‑backed MTD Housing, where Pinnacle’s managed portfolio grew by nearly 500 homes.

Pinnacle continued to strengthen its position within specialist investor-led housing markets. Its institutional investor management portfolio grew to over 12,000 homes nationally, supported by new appointments with organisations including BluePine Living and Zen Housing, while its own For‑Profit Registered Provider (FPRP) portfolios expanded to more than 1,500 homes.

The Group’s market rent portfolio, via its Place by Pinnacle brand increased by over 20%, with continued growth within new-build Build to Rent schemes nationwide, including a landmark new contract on behalf of This City, an arms-length Build to Rent developer owned by Manchester City Council.

Pinnacle expanded its neighbourhood service provision to more than 10,000 locations across the UK, including block cleaning, caretaking, grounds maintenance, concierge and estate services. During the year, Pinnacle was appointed to deliver communal cleaning and grounds maintenance services for across the whole Hyde Group portfolio.

Pinnacle handled over one million customer calls during the year through its 24/7 contact centre operations, supporting more than 50 clients across housing, local and central government. The company’s focus on service excellence was recognised with the achievement of ServiceMark accreditation, reflecting consistently high standards of customer experience.

A notable development during the year was the launch of Pinnacle Workplace, a new national brand delivering workplace services across more than 80 locations. This included a flagship three‑year, £15 million contract at JCB’s global headquarters, providing specialist facilities management services and production support.

Pinnacle continued to make an impact in communities through its work with government and local partners. Through the Meadowship scheme with Bromley Council, the Group has now supported more than 400 families to move from temporary into permanent accommodation. Pinnacle also supported over 11,000 families into Service Family Accommodation on behalf of the Ministry of Defence and surpassed 500 families housed under the MOD’s Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy.

Investment in innovation remained a priority. During the year, Pinnacle strengthened its AI and automation capabilities, enhancing its resident app, Ark, and scaling the use of collaborative robots (cobots) – autonomous machines that work alongside colleagues to improve efficiency, consistency and service outcomes across neighbourhood services.

“Over the past year, we have continued to grow the scale and reach of the business while staying focused on what matters most: delivering well managed homes, neighbourhoods and workplaces which result in strong communities and satisfied customers. I’m proud of the impact our teams have made across the country and the trust our client partners continue to place in us.”

Perry Lloyd
Group Chief Executive

Pinnacle Group to manage homes at London’s iconic Oxo Tower

Pinnacle Group has been appointed to manage more than 160 homes in and around the iconic Oxo Tower on London’s South Bank, working in partnership with Coin Street Housing Secondary Housing Co-operative, which will become South Bank Community Housing Co-operative.

The appointment follows the coming together of homes previously managed by the Palm, Redwood and Iroko housing co-operatives, as part of a wider transition towards a single co-operative structure.

Established to great note in the late 1990s and early 2000s, each of the schemes made their mark for their distinctive architecture and strong community focused neighbourhood that Coin Street has nurtured for over 40 years.

Just behind the Oxo Tower, Pinnacle will oversee 27 homes, including ten houses, a four-storey block containing five two-bed flats and a ten-storey block comprising ten one-bed flats.

In the tower itself, Pinnacle will manage 78 homes, spanning floors three to seven. These include eight one-bed flats, 45 two-bed flats and five three-bed homes.

A short walk away, to the Southwest of the Tower, Pinnacle will take responsibility for 59 homes arranged around a much-loved communal garden, including 32 five-bed houses, six three-bed maisonettes and 21 one and two-bed maisonettes and flats.

The appointment further strengthens Pinnacle Group’s position as a market-leading provider of integrated housing, neighbourhood and workplace services. With a footprint spanning over 75,000 homes and more than 10,000 delivery locations across the UK, Pinnacle brings more than three decades of expertise in managing and maintaining places with professionalism, consistency and care.

Pinnacle will work collaboratively with Coin Street Housing Coop to ensure homes and shared spaces are safe, well maintained and cared for, supporting communities that feel proud, connected and resilient.

Nabeel Alhassan, Chief Officer, South Bank Housing Co-operative, said: “We are proud of the community led neighbourhood that has been built here over the past 40 years. Bringing these homes together under a single co-operative structure is an important step in continuing that legacy. As we begin this new chapter with Pinnacle Group as our managing agent, our focus is on ensuring residents receive a reliable, high-quality service, while keeping the co-op at the heart of how decisions are made. We remain accountable for those services and look forward to working closely with Pinnacle and residents to support a community that feels well cared for, connected and valued.”

“We’re delighted to be partnering with Coin Street to manage these important homes at the heart of London’s South Bank. Coin Street has built one of the capital’s most enduring community-led neighbourhoods, and we share their commitment to inclusive, thriving places. Our focus is on delivering a high-quality, people-centred service every day. We look forward to working closely with residents, colleagues and partners to support these communities.”

Claire Kober
Managing Director, Homes at Pinnacle Group

The Pinnacles 2026

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYUBLmUYX5k

On 26th March, The Pinnacles, our annual staff awards ceremony, took place at the Barbican Centre in London, celebrating the exceptional achievements of our teams.

More than 80 colleagues came together to celebrate the people and teams who've made a real difference across the business this year.

A total of 21 finalists were celebrated from across all areas of the business in seven new award categories, designed to champion both teams and individuals. The finalists were selected from nearly 300 nominations made by colleagues, who were encouraged to submit those who inspire positive change, deliver exceptional service and live our values every day, helping to shape an organisation we’re all proud to be part of.

Peregrine Lloyd, Chief Executive of Pinnacle Group, said: “The Pinnacles are about recognising the colleagues who live our values every day. It has been a privilege to celebrate this year’s outstanding achievements and the difference our people make across communities nationwide.”

Congratulations to all of this year's finalists and winners!

The Pinnacle Award
Mick Furlong

Mick, who is an Area Supervisor on our Yorkshire Police contract, has served with dedication for 16 years, consistently setting the standard through his hard work, pride, and professionalism. Unfortunately, Mick was unable to attend in the afternoon, so Colin Hill, Regional Operations Manager, accepted the award on his behalf.

Congratulations to Mick and our other Pinnacle Award finalists:

• Leon Simpson, Quality Manager, Projects & Governance
• Jenna Burford, Housing Officer, Pinnacle Service Families

Heart of Pinnacle Award
Katy Strick

For 15 years, Katy Strick, Receptionist, has been the first face people see when they walk through the doors of Holborn Tower and the last person they meet as they leave. In that role, she has done far more than welcome visitors. Katy has quietly shaped the culture of our head office. Every day, she brings professionalism, warmth and a sense of calm that sets the tone for the whole office.

Outstanding Leadership Award
Emily Cook

Emily is Head of Extra Care and Regional Operations in our Homes division. She demonstrates exceptional leadership through her positivity, support, and dedication to her team. Emily brings an energy that inspires confidence and motivates everyone to excel. She creates a safe environment where questions are welcomed, development is supported, and challenges are faced together.

Congratulations to Emily and our other Outstanding Leadership Award finalists:

• Lewis Spiers, Supervisor, Soft FM
• Hayley Coates, Shift Manager, Pinnacle Connect

Collaboration Award
David Bruce

David is a Housing Officer on the Pinnacle Service Families contract who excels through his collaboration with DIO’s repairs and maintenance contractors, military welfare teams, and colleagues across the service community. His joined‑up approach consistently delivers the best outcomes for families. David also achieved over 30 five‑star Trustpilot reviews in the past year.

Congratulations to David and our other Collaboration Award finalists:

• Sarah Chapman, Customer Satisfaction and Insight Manager, and Sarah Hampson, Continuous Improvement Manager, Pinnacle Service Families
• Steve Box, Ben Hawley, Colin McPhail and Liz Preedy, Bidding Team

Frontline Hero
John Hanson & Helen Regan

Housing Support Officer, Helen and Maintenance Manager, John demonstrated exceptional commitment to our values during an incident with a vulnerable tenant. When other agencies stepped back, Helen and John carried out a welfare check. Receiving no response, they checked through the windows and found the tenant unconscious. They called the emergency services and gained access, with paramedics confirming their swift intervention likely saved his life.

Congratulations to John and Helen, and our other Frontline Hero finalists:

• Norma Thompson, Move Assistant, Pinnacle Service Families
• Sarah Reeves, Chef Manager, Pinnacle Workplace

People & Planet Impact Award
Douglas Din

Douglas is a cleaner in Brockley. He consistently goes above and beyond his role, delivering excellence through his high-quality cleaning standards, safe pesticide control, and proactive support for vulnerable residents, including clearing overgrown gardens and assisting with essential outdoor tasks.

Congratulations to Douglas and our other People & Planet Impact Award finalists:

• North Region (South) Team, Pinnacle Service Families
• Adrian Heaven, Housing Officer, Pinnacle Service Families

Trailblazer Award
Josh Fenton

Contract Safety Manager at Pinnacle Workplace, Josh’s leadership has transformed the health and safety culture on the JCB contract. He consistently challenges established practices to make improvements and most notably redesigned the permit to work system now adopted across multiple divisions.

Congratulations to Josh and our other Trailblazer Award finalists:

• Jo Kerry, Head of Regional Operations, Pinnacle Service Families
• Laura Newey, Account Director, Legal and General

Behind-the-Scenes Star
Ayaz Jan

Ayaz, a Data and Reporting Analyst, is recognised for his calm problem-solving approach and dedication. He delivers accurate, high-quality insight that underpins critical decision making on the Pinnacle Service Families contract.

Congratulations to Josh and our other Trailblazer Award finalists:

• Aidan Chapman, Superintendent, Kirklees Schools Team
• Maria De Fatima De Jesus Caldeira, Cleaner, Myatts Field North

Pinnacle Group extends partnership with Flint Housing to North Kensington Gate

Pinnacle Group has strengthened its growing relationship with registered provider of social housing, Flint Housing, through provision of full housing management services for 85 social rented homes at the North Kensington Gate development in London.

North Kensington Gate is a landmark development delivering high-quality homes in one of London’s most vibrant and diverse communities.

Pinnacle is providing complete housing management services, including tenancy management, customer service, maintenance and void management – ensuring residents benefit from a responsive, professional and community focused experience.

“Commencing services at North Kensington Gate marks a key milestone in expanding work with Flint Housing. Our team is committed to delivering excellent services and supporting Flint’s mission to provide high-quality affordable homes.”

Claire Kober
Managing Director, Homes at Pinnacle Group

This growing partnership reinforces Pinnacle’s position as a leading management provider for For-Profit Registered Providers (FPRPs). The company now manages more than 5,000 homes for over a dozen FPRPs.

As part of its social purpose, every surplus Pinnacle generates is reinvested through the Hyde Group to help tackle the UK’s housing crisis – ensuring high-quality management supports the delivery of more affordable homes nationwide.

Claire Kober on why the devil is in the commonhold details

The publication of the draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill last month has been framed as the moment England and Wales began to move beyond leasehold.

Its sweeping programme includes banning new leasehold flats once a viable commonhold framework is established; capping existing ground rents at £250, then cutting them to a peppercorn after 40 years; and abolishing forfeiture in favour of a fairer enforcement regime.

Ministers say it is one of the most significant overhauls of property law in decades, with big implications for homeowners, developers and lenders. Crucially, they say, it marks the start of the end for the ‘feudal’ leasehold system.

But as the industry prepares responses to the consultation on the bill, a key question remains: who will run commonhold buildings? Commonhold hands control to residents via commonhold associations, making them responsible for a building’s governance, finances and stewardship. The bill strengthens this by introducing a commonhold community statement (a statutory ‘rulebook’), mandatory reserve funds and ways to organise mixed-use schemes in ‘sections’ where only those affected by a service or change vote on it.

In theory, this is welcome empowerment. In practice, it is a profound operational shift. But there are useful lessons from the residents’ management company (RMC) model. RMCs work well when residents have clear governance structures and a shared understanding of their financial and management responsibilities, supported by a reliable professional team, underlining the importance of embedding similar safeguards in the commonhold framework.

"If commonhold is to succeed, then capability, not just policy, must come to the forefront."

With all its flaws, leasehold provided a clear structure, with freeholders legally responsible for the building, aided by a managing agent. Commonhold replaces that central point of accountability with volunteer homeowners’ committees.

Managing a residential block is complex work. Overseeing fire safety compliance, planning major works, setting budgets, commissioning contractors, navigating disputes and balancing residents’ and commercial occupiers’ competing interests isn’t easy. Many of leasehold’s problems, such as spiralling service charges and poor communication, reflect how challenging it is to run buildings well.

The bill promises greater transparency for residents and accountability for managing agents, but transparency does not create expertise, nor does it guarantee good decision-making by residents themselves. The sector also has yet to reckon with the sheer variety of buildings that will be expected to adopt commonhold. A small, cohesive block of six flats presents a very different governance challenge from a 300-unit, mixed-tenure block with retail, shared energy systems and complex compliance needs.

No easy transition

Even with reforms proposing to reduce the threshold for converting from leasehold to commonhold, in some cases to 50% of qualifying leaseholders, rather than requiring consensus, transition will not be straightforward. The draft bill acknowledges the phased and uncertain nature of implementation, with key timings, exemptions and transitional arrangements yet to be finalised.

This makes a fragmented landscape likely; some buildings could move swiftly to commonhold while others remain in leasehold for years, with many caught in between. A two-tier market could emerge, where forward-thinking schemes adopt the regime early and more complex buildings stall due to ownership patterns or lack of readiness.

Critics also warn that eroding freeholder responsibilities may undermine investment in building safety and long-term maintenance, especially where resident-led associations lack the resources or expertise to manage and prioritise them. Mandatory reserve funds are important, but they will not safeguard against underfunding or poor planning.

If commonhold is to succeed on the scale envisioned, then capability, not just policy, must come to the forefront. That means investing in training, professional support and governance frameworks; equipping residents to take on big responsibilities confidently; and ensuring managing agents can adapt to a more collaborative, resident-directed role. It means lenders, developers and local councils must understand the operational, not just the legal, implications.

The bill may set the framework, but the devil is in the detail. The real test will be what happens when the governance of thousands of buildings becomes the responsibility of the people who call them home.

Claire Kober

Managing Director (Homes), Pinnacle Group

Pinnacle Group’s BTR portfolio reaches nearly 1,500 homes with new South London operating appointment

Pinnacle Group has been appointed by Principal Asset Management®, the US based global investment manager, to operate new Build to Rent (BTR) homes across a major development in South London.

The contract win strengthens Pinnacle’s growing role as a specialist operator in the UK’s rapidly expanding Build to Rent sector, delivering professionally managed, high quality rental homes for residents and reliable long-term performance for investors.

Pinnacle now manages nearly 1,500 BTR homes nationwide, emphasising its growing presence in the sector.

Principal has forward funded 130 BTR units at King George’s Gate in Earlsfield – part of Taylor Wimpey’s broader masterplan – and has acquired a 66-unit residential building within the Clapham Park regeneration area.

Pinnacle has now begun operating the Clapham development, which reached practical completion in late 2025. Services include resident onboarding, customer support, compliance, repairs coordination, building safety management, and community engagement.

Both schemes are located in established south London neighbourhoods with strong rental demand and excellent transport connectivity.  

With the King George’s Gate project set to complete in 2027, Pinnacle will now continue to build its relationship with Principal as preferred operator of its pipeline.  

“Partnering with Principal to support the delivery of high-quality Build to Rent homes in this London community reflects our commitment to what residents value most – safe, well managed homes, a responsive service and a strong sense of community. As a people-first operator, we draw on 30 years of experience combining professional management with long term stewardship to ensure stability, quality and a great rental experience for residents.”

Claire Kober
Managing Director, Homes at Pinnacle Group

The new London scheme builds on Pinnacle’s substantial and expanding national footprint. The Group now manages nearly 75,000 homes and operates across more than 10,000 locations, combining operational excellence with a commitment to creating thriving, sustainable communities. 

As a standalone subsidiary of the Hyde Group, every surplus Pinnacle generates is reinvested into tackling the UK housing crisis – ensuring that partnerships such as this deliver wider social value.