Affordable Housing for London

The Crown Estate's Housing Business Group (HBG) provides around 1,300 affordable rented homes in London, primarily for key workers. We operate as a private landlord and receive no funding from other sources. All our properties are rented as unfurnished on a mixture of short and long leases, and our rents are charged at less than market levels, enabling staff working for certain essential public services to live in central London.

We have properties at Regent's Park, Millbank, Victoria Park and Lee Green. All new lettings are made as assured shorthold tenancies (AST) – normally lasting for one year at a time. We also manage a handful of commercial properties such as retail units on our Victoria Park estate. These commercial outlets usually provide services and facilities for the local community.

Our affordable housing service exists to provide modern accommodation, in keeping with its historical surroundings and at an appropriate level of rent. We undertake to work with our tenants to both maintain and enhance our properties. Conservation is very important to The Crown Estate and the housing business group actively pursues good stewardship in managing and maintaining its portfolio.

The Crown Estate is a member of the Housing Ombudsman service and adheres to its specifications and regulations.

Rents

Our assured and shorthold rents are set below market levels. We adopt this policy because most of our applicants fall into the category of being "key-workers" who would not otherwise be in a position to be able to afford to rent on the private market – especially in central London. Assured and shorthold rents can be increased every 12 months by means of a standard notice of rent increase.

Our regulated tenants (or "fair rent" tenancies as they are sometimes known) have their rents set every two years by the Rent Officer Service. Such tenancies, which were created prior to January 1989, are governed by the terms of the 1977 Rent Act.