Covent Garden Housing Co-operative

Covent Garden Housing Co-op came into being as a Tenants Association in 1988 when St Pancras Housing Association (SPHA) acquired 87 homes for £1.1 million from the London Residuary Board following the demise of the GLC. In 1990 the Co-op received a grant from the Housing Corporation for a feasibility study to become a Tenant Management Co-op (TMC). Following training and negotiating a Management Agreement with SPHA, now Origin Housing Association, (OHA) the Co-op became the first voluntary TMC on 1st April 1995 in Britain for over 20 years.

Following changes to the Management Committee in June 2013 it was agreed to outsource and appoint an organisation to provide Administration, Tenancy and Housing Management support. Following successful negotiations over a new Management Agreement between the Co-op and OHA during 2014, CDS Co-operatives began providing services to the Co-op on 1st February 2014.

The Co-op’s properties lie within the London Borough of Camden’s side of Covent Garden and comprise 82 individual units in 13 houses, 55 are tenanted and 27 are Leasehold, managed by OHA.

Of the 55 tenanted units, some secure, some assured tenancies, there are 5 x Bedsits, 24 x 1 Bed, 10 x 2 Bed, 9 x 3 Bed and 7 x 4 Bed, Two of the larger properties of 17 and 16 flats each are Freehold owned by OHA, built by the GLC in 1986/7, two properties of 9 and 8 flats each are leased by OHA, again built by the GLC in 1986/7. The remaining 9 properties are leased by OHA and built around the 19th Century.

Covent Garden needs no introduction as a vibrant shopping area with a large residential ethnic mix population. Two junior schools and University College Hospital nearby, together with local Underground and Bus transport facilities.

The Co-op’s annually elected Management Committee hold social events with the residents and meet regularly to receive reports on rents, finance, repairs monitoring and conduct the everyday business of the Co-op.