Sponsors 2021
Affordable Housing Provider of the Year
Sponsored by INVESTA
INVESTA provides design-led interior solutions to the property industry; servicing developers, housing associations, local authorities, registered providers and agents with unrivalled service and meticulous attention to detail.
Our team is a collaboration of creative minds and property experts. We have over 40 years of knowledge within the property rental and development markets, which makes us the perfect partner to enhance your investment.
Working on the most prestigious developments across London and further afield, we pride ourselves on offering market-leading service at affordable prices. We are the experts if you want to rent, sell or dress your property.
Every property. Every room. Every detail. Without compromise.
Sister company to Vesta Interior Design
Private Developer of the Year
Sponsored by Faust PR
Faust PR are a boutique PR agency – a dynamic, young, creative team who know the property industry inside out. Clients range from top-end developers and interior designers, to volume house builders and housing associations. Always coming up with new ideas to promote new homes, past projects range from working with world famous street artists to deliver pieces of public art, running public firework displays for over 1000 people or partnering with a floristry brand to deliver a unique workshop for press.
A team small enough to be cost effective and highly accountable, Faust are experts in communication. Highly experienced in PR stunts, events and crisis management, alongside daily press office functions such as copywriting, social media strategy and management, Faust consistently compete with large global agencies, delivering impactful and meaningful campaigns.
Best Large Development
Sponsored by LSL Land and New Homes
LSL Land & New Homes is one of the UK’s leading new homes experts, whose service covers all stages of the development process from site acquisition, feasibility through to the disposal of land. In addition we provide tailor-made sales and marketing solutions on behalf of our growing portfolio of clients. We also specialise in, volume, Shared Ownership and Part Exchange, via our dedicated ‘Hubs’ and are able to offer new homes mortgage solutions via RSC and Mortgages First.
We work closely with local authorities, housing associations and developers, across the UK, to help them deliver their strategic objectives for 2021 & beyond. Let us help you.
Best First Time Buyer Apartment
Direction Law is one of the most established and largest specialist affordable housing solicitors in the country, operating nationwide from offices in London, South East, South West and the Midlands.
We work with over 90 housing associations and specialist agents across the country and completed over 3,000 new build purchases between April 2019- March 2020.
We are a friendly, professional firm and we pride ourselves on communicating with our clients, clearly and concisely. While other firms may have conveyancers, who deal with a variety of affordable housing cases, we have taken it one stage further and have individual dedicated teams specialising in either new build shared ownership, resale sales and purchases, or new build/Help to Buy respectively: thus, ensuring greater expertise.
Our goal is to progress cases to exchange and completion as swiftly as possible, resulting in a satisfied client who has achieved their dream of home ownership with the minimum of fuss.
Best New Development in the South
Sponsored by SiteSales Property Group
SiteSales Property Group have provided a range of services to developers, housing associations, local authorities and registered charities for over 30 years, delivering successful solutions on housing schemes ranging in size from 10 to over 1,000 new homes.
Operating in London and the South East, SiteSales provide their clients with a comprehensive range of consultancy services on all aspects of speculative housing. These services range from land disposal, site appraisal, the planning processes, detailed design, internal and external specification, construction, market research and culminating in sales, marketing and an after-sales service.
Whatever a client’s involvement in residential development, SiteSales have the experience, knowledge and resource to help ensure minimal risk and achieve the maximum return on client projects.
SiteSales also build their own homes for sale under the Regenta brand; they are operating on a range of projects and welcome enquiries from those interested in land disposal or joint-venture projects.
Best New Development in the North
Sponsored by Metro Finance
Metro Finance – We just love Shared Ownership!
Every month we help around 2500 potential buyers. We establish what’s affordable and help achieve the right mortgage. Simultaneously, we help ensure regulatory requirements are met for our partner Housing Associations- nearly 100 across the UK.
Supporting the sector, we developed affordability chatbots, staircasing chatbots and a series of portals for buyers and HA’s. All of which track and streamline the Shared Ownership journey. Constantly improving service levels, last year we introduced facial recognition ID checks and Open Banking software to our portals, focused on making it even easier for buyers and HA’s.
Can we do more? Always…working with lenders, regulators, and stake holders to give Shared Ownership the positioning it deserves
Best Partnership
Sponsored by The Media People
Powered by our people, our campaigns put your audience first. Working across all media channels, as well as offering services such as SEO, website performance reviews and data analysis, our expert client teams know each individual business and the property market inside out. Taking pride in our hard work and specialist knowledge, our people are at the heart of everything we do.
We are a hybrid agency that believes in shaping media strategy from a 360 perspective. Whether it is offline or online, there is no audience we cannot reach. This means that our campaigns deliver a unified message across multiple points of the customer journey, from first impression to generating an enquiry.
The Media People has a proven track record in performance and delivery. Using the strength of our data and investment in tech to gain a thorough understanding of your audience, we make smarter decisions, faster. Key to this success is building strong relationships with our clients and business partners. By putting you and your audience first, we achieve the results you strive for.
Best Law Firm for Conveyancing
Sponsored by Dawson Cornwell
Dawson Cornwell is one of the country’s leading specialist family law firms, highly regarded for its expertise in international cases, knowledge of the law and strategical management of divorce and high net worth financial cases, whether by litigation, mediation, or collaborative law. Many of its lawyers are cross-qualified, or speak other languages – including Spanish, Polish, Mandarin, Arabic and Hindi to name a few. The reputation of its international cross- border children department is unrivalled; covering child abduction, forced marriage, stranded spouses and international surrogacy and fertility. Because of its international expertise, the firm is uniquely placed to advise in cross-border Court of Protection and public law cases.
Its reputation for cutting-edge work is reflected in the fact that each year, the firm has more reported family law cases than any other.
Best Use of Interactive Tools
Sponsored by Buchanan Dean Design
Buchanan Dean Design, is a full service design agency, which has been working within the social housing sector since our inception over 27 years ago! In that time, we have gleaned an enormous amount of information about this sector of the housing market, both in terms of what works in sales and marketing, but also anecdotally from some of the legends in the industry. We are proud to have stood the test of time.
We work across all disciplines and media and have a diverse client base in this sector, from small, niche organisations to some of the largest in the country. We take great pride in treating all our clients with the same care and respect and believe one of our key attributes is that we are discerning listeners. This translates through the brief and into our creative solutions.
We are thrilled to support First Time Buyer Magazine, through sponsoring the Best Use of Interactive Tools Award and wish all involved every success in their worthwhile quest of helping hard working people onto the first step of the housing ladder.
Best First Time Buyer Family Home
Sponsored by Abri
We’re Abri, a housing association based in the south of England. One of the largest in fact. We’ve got 35,000 homes and 80,000 residents living in them.
There aren’t enough homes for everyone who needs one. And we don’t think that’s right.
So we build, own, look after and sell homes that people can afford. Including homes for affordable and social rent. And homes to buy through things like Shared Ownership and Help to Buy. We also have houses for market rent and sale too.
Best Off-Plan Development
Sponsored by Zoopla
The Zoopla Limited property division includes some of the UK’s leading property portal, software, marketing and data insights brands that help property professionals market their properties, promote their brand, make informed decisions and manage their business efficiently. Our websites and apps attract over 50 million visits per month and over 25,000 business partners use our range of services.
Zoopla is the UK’s most comprehensive property destination, on a mission to reimagine intelligent home decisions for everyone. Zoopla helps consumers research the market and find their next home by combining hundreds of thousands of property listings with market data and local information.
Zoopla Advantage is our one-stop hub for property professionals, offering insights, resources and events to empower the sector. We’re here to help you succeed, as consumer needs and behaviours continue to evolve.
Best Small Development
Sponsored by Leaders Romans
Successful shared ownership specialist team covering the whole country with centres in Berkshire, London, Manchester and Nottingham. The team benefits from the additional coverage, support and resource available from the branch network that now spans over 175 locations across the UK. Working with the UKs top Housing Associations and Registered Providers to source buyers before guiding them through from registration and eligibility/affordability qualification to handing the keys over and introducing them to their new home. The in-house financial advisers specialise in shared ownership mortgages and dedicated sales progression team ensure a smoother customer journey.
Best Supplier to the FTB Market
Sponsored by Penningtons Manches Cooper
Penningtons Manches Cooper is a leading UK and international law firm and is recognised as a top class provider of legal advice to the social housing sector.
We establish dedicated, long term relationships with clients which result in an innovative and commercially aware service. Our team is valued for its commitment to high standards of customer care. We recognise that our clients’ market is constantly shifting and faces regular overhauls as the Government tries to deliver much needed new housing. We are used to advising our clients on these emerging polices; changes in the planning laws; the launch of new funding initiatives and the reversal of priorities in tenure from home ownership to affordable rent and back again.
Our clients include housing associations ranging from organisations with less than 1,000 homes to some of the largest housing providers in the country, local authorities, local housing companies, and private developers and consultants active in the sector.
Our award winning team is praised for its creative solutions, and we’re able to provide a full range of legal services. We understand that the ever changing market place and Government demands on housing delivery means our clients need lawyers who are agile and commercial in their outlook.
Best Show Home
Sponsored by Sharratts
Sharratts are a boutique firm of senior housing Solicitors providing a professional, affordable service specifically for Affordable Housing providers and their partners.
Providing commercial and practical advice in a helpful and approachable manner, we are committed to excellence, are recognised affordable housing specialists and are acknowledged within the sector as experts in the field.
We offer advice in relation to Development site acquisitions (including joint ventures), plot sales of all tenures (together with shared ownership resales and staircasing) and have a specialist Asset Management team who can offer advice on all other types of property transaction.
Judges Unsung Star Award
Sponsored by Censeo Financial
For over 14 years, Censeo Financial has been providing an exemplary service to both our Housing Association and Developer Clients and our Customers. We were set up purely as a mortgage provider specialising in providing homes to first time buyers and since then we have become a recognisable, trusted and award-winning brand.
Since 2007 we have helped thousands of people into their homes.
This has been achieved through the excellent partnerships our team have forged with leading Housing Associations and Developers along with the frictionless processes, innovations and economies of scale we have introduced.
Pre-Drinks
The Oracle Group is the award winning, creative-thinking, hard-working, fun-loving, promise-keeping, budget- saving, client-pleasing, content-creating, challenge-beating, copy-writing, social-media-bombarding, brand-designing, event-making, reputation-building, PRWeek Top 150-ranking, marketing and communications group… and the only agency to be crowned one of the ‘Best Places to Work in Property’ by Property Week.
Goodie Bag Sponsor
SO Resi is the brand for shared ownership homes by Metropolitan Thames Valley, one of the UK’s largest housing associations.
SO Resi aims to improve understanding, change perception and increase awareness of shared ownership and break down the barriers to homeownership.
Cocktail Sponsor
Sponsored by Walter Cooper
As the new independent land agency on the block, Walter Cooper & Co promise to provide a truly independent professional service designed to optimise and maximise the value of your land. Honesty, integrity and passion sit at the heart of what they do. Based in the South East of England, but with expertise across the whole of the UK, the senior leadership team have between them over 40 years’ experience in the industry, having transacted in excess of 25,000 plots with a combined GDV of over £1billion. And they’ve only just started. To find out more visit