News03.04.24by Matilda BattersbyBolton at Home and Arcon Housing have finalised their merger and will operate as a new rebranded organisation from April next year.Bolton at Home CEO Noel Sharpe: “We decided to explore a new name that’s not location-specific and better reflects our shared values”SharelinesNorth West landlords reveal rebrand after merger #UKhousingBolton at Home and Arcon Housing have finalised their merger and will operate as a new rebranded organisation from April next year #UKhousing The tie-up, which takes place four years after Arcon joined the group as a subsidiary, was first proposed in February last year.
Arcon’s 1,300 homes in North West England are now part of Bolton at Home, but the association is moving away from its Bolton-specific name and branding as a result.
Bolton at Home, which manages more than 18,000 homes, will become Be One Homes as of April 2025, with its new name and visual identity rolled out gradually over the next 12 months. Bolton at Home was originally an ALMO owned by Bolton Council, but in 2011 it acquired its housing stock and became a housing association.
Chief executive Noel Sharpe said: “Though Bolton is, and will remain, our heartland, we’ve been developing and managing more homes outside of the borough over the last few years.
“Joining together with Arcon has further added to the number of homes we have in other areas of Greater Manchester and the North West.
“We decided to explore a new name that’s not location-specific and better reflects our shared values. Be One Homes embodies our commitment to accountability, inclusivity and togetherness.”
The merger was finalised on 31 March 2024 after securing approval from funders and the English regulator. There has been a lot of merger activity in the sector of late. The largest housing association in Wales completed its plans to merge with another registered provider on Tuesday.
Pobl Group and Linc Cymru revealed they have formally come together to create a new expanded landlord that will manage more than 23,000 homes in Wales.
Linc Cymru will continue to operate as a subsidiary of Pobl Group.
In the middle of February, Places for People received approval for a second tie-up with a smaller landlord in the space of a week.
The 240,000-home association said that South Devon Rural Housing Association (SDR) is on track to become a subsidiary after its shareholders approved the plans, which were first announced in December.
SDR, which owns and manages 357 homes in the South West of England, said it consulted its residents on the plans and got the green light from its board on Thursday 8 February to proceed with the merger.
Sign up for our development and finance newsletter
