Bromford Flagship and LiveWest are in merger talks. Learn more and share your thoughts here.
Bromford Flagship and LiveWest
Bromford Flagship and LiveWest are in talks to come together and create a new organisation that would provide homes for almost 300,000 customers across the South West, Midlands and East Anglia.
By joining forces, we can not only increase the number of homes we build but also invest more in existing homes and strengthen the services our customers rely on, creating greater opportunities for people and communities to thrive.
How the merger would affect you
Your rent and service charge
These would not change as a result of the merger. Your rent and service charge would continue to be reviewed each year in the same way they are now. Where you are a tenant, your current protections over how much your rent can increase by year on year (as set out by the Regulator of Social Housing) would continue.
Your tenancy agreement or lease
The merger would not affect your relationship with us as a customer. You would remain in your existing home and your landlord would not change – it would just be part of a wider group structure. We would continue to honour the terms of your existing tenancy agreement, or lease. Your rights and the terms of your current agreement would remain the same. If you’re a shared ownership or leasehold customer, you would not be affected, your landlord would remain the same and the terms of your lease and your rights would also remain the same.
Repairs and maintenance in your home
You would continue to contact us in the same way. Delivering quality services would continue to be a priority for us and we only expect you to see improvements in how we respond to repairs. The merger would give us the opportunity to commit £190 million every year to repairs, maintenance and improvements to our homes and in the places you live. Shared owners and leaseholders would remain responsible for repairing and maintaining their homes unless there are agreements already in place for us to carry these out.
Your Neighbourhood Coach
You would have the same relationships with the same colleagues as you do now, and if these change, we will inform you. All telephone numbers would initially remain the same and you would continue to be able to contact us in the same way. As we introduce improvements in the coming years, this may change, but we would make sure you know about any changes in advance.
If you have rent debt
If you owe us money at the time the proposed merger goes ahead (rent arrears, court costs, money for damage or a rechargeable repair), then these debts would stay with you, and we would still be able to enforce existing court judgements for these arrears. If you have concerns about arrears, then please contact us.
Housing benefit and Universal Credit
These claims would remain unchanged. Help and advice would continue to be given to customers or leaseholders about benefit entitlement and support for you if you are experiencing financial difficulties.
The Right to Buy and Right to Acquire
If you have the Right to Buy or Right to Acquire your home, you will continue to have that right. It would not be impacted by the merger.
Your feedback
Tell us your views on the proposed merger between Bromford Flagship and LiveWest.
When will this take place?
We are still in discussions and if we do go ahead, we expect it to happen between January and March 2026.
What are the benefits of coming together?
The creation of Bromford Flagship LiveWest has scope to create additional capacity of more than £1.5bn over the next 15 years. That’s over £100 million which could be invested each year in our business, the services we provide to you, in building new homes and in ensuring our existing homes are energy efficient, safe and warm.
Bromford Flagship LiveWest’s increased capacity would also provide the opportunity to build on the work that we have recently undertaken with the creation of our new Place Standard. The Place Standard means we are looking beyond individual homes. It considers what is needed for our neighbourhoods to be places where people want to live, and where you and your community can thrive.
Why is it so soon after the Bromford Flagship merger?
We appreciate it might feel soon after our recent merger as Bromford Flagship but it’s absolutely the right time to be shifting gears, staying at the forefront of a sector that needs more. More homes and more investment and we’re in a good position to do this.
It’s not about being bigger but it is about having the biggest impact on our services and in our communities.
Why isn't a formal consultation needed?
The merger will have no impact on who your landlord is, so your lease and tenancy arrangements won't be affected in any way. As there’s no impact on your agreement, there’s no need for a consultation. We do welcome your comments, which you can share with us through this form (link on site).
As discussions progress you shouldn’t notice any change to the services you receive. It is business as usual. The top priority for both housing associations is to deliver great services and homes and to keep improving this.
We aim to maintain our current teams and how we operate. We would also work towards increasing our effectiveness by giving local teams more decision-making power. This would ensure that customer services are delivered in line with our customers' and community needs.
These teams would be supported by the creation of a leading digital service for customers and colleagues.
Does this change how Bromford Flagship is regulated?
The new group structure would be regulated by the Regulator of Social Housing just as we are today. You would continue to have the right to raise complaints to the Housing Ombudsman and be protected by the standards set by the Regulator of Social Housing.
What is the financial position of both organisations?
Both organisations publish their financial performance on their websites, with Bromford Flagship’s and LiveWest’s latest update being the Annual Report & Accounts to 31 March 2025
Both organisations are financially strong. Bromford Flagship has credit ratings of A2 from Moody’s and A+ from S&P, while LiveWest has just a single rating from Moody’s at A2, the same as Bromford Flagship.
Through the financial assessment of the proposed merger, due diligence was carried out by both sides on the business model and financial position, which did not highlight any significant issues needing to be addressed before the proposed merger taking place.
The new organisation created by the merger will be financially stronger with the capacity to invest an additional £1.5 billion, equating to £100 million per annum over the next 15 years. This increased investment capability is achievable without the need for any efficiencies from the merger. The merger is all about doing more not less.
What are the estimated costs of the merger?
We expect the costs of the merger to include advisors' costs and process and system integration costs. We expect these to be more than offset by financial savings that will be achieved.
What are the anticipated short-term costs of integration?
The overriding premise is that there will be little change to how the individual organisations operate on day 1.
The anticipated short-term costs of integration primarily include rebranding, potential systems integration and alignment of operational processes. These are standard expenses in mergers but are not expected to significantly impact the financial standing of the new organisation. Despite these initial costs, the benefits far outweigh them. The merger will create a financially stronger entity capable of investing an additional £1.5 billion over the next 15 years, equating to £100 million per annum. This investment will be directed towards new homes, existing homes and frontline services, which are crucial for customers.
Who are the external advisors?
The main external advisors that have supported the pre-merger work are:
- Devonshires, who are a well-known legal firm and have provided advice on legal matters, and
- Newbridge for finance and treasury advice.
These are the same teams that advised the Bromford Flagship merger.
How can an organisation plan 15 years ahead?
As a long-term business, we think and act long-term, and our financial planning reflects this. We do long-term planning every year, completing a 30-year business plan, as do all registered Housing Associations, as this is a regulatory requirement.
Will there be a vote on the merger?
There will not be a vote on the merger. The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) oversees mergers to ensure that housing providers like Bromford Flagship continue to meet regulatory standards and remain financially viable. This means the RSH will review the merger to ensure it is in the best interests of customers and that we can continue to provide good quality services.
Will Bromford Flagship continue to merge with other housing associations in the future?
We will continue to consolidate and integrate effectively as an organisation, and while there are no specific plans at present, we will always remain open to opportunities should they present themselves in the future.