Thrive Homes and Watford Community Housing are exploring a potential merger

Watford Community Housing and Thrive Homes are exploring a potential merger that could create a new, stronger organisation — one that builds on both our strengths and ensures even better homes and services for our residents.

Our aim is simple: to combine our resources and expertise so we can invest more in your homes, deliver excellent customer service, and build more affordable housing for local people.

Why we're exploring this merger

By working together, we can:

• Invest more in existing homes and neighbourhoods - with greater capacity for planned works and energy efficiency upgrades
• Build more affordable homes – pooling resources to tackle the housing shortage locally.
• Enhance customer service – offering faster, more consistent responses through combined expertise.
• Create new opportunities for residents – giving tenants and leaseholders more influence over decisions.
• Strengthen long-term stability – combining financial strength to protect services for the future.

By joining together, this merger will create a larger community gateway housing association, giving more power to customers and ensuring they are at the heart of decision-making. This proposal is about partnership and long-term improvement, not short-term change.

Chris Blackett, resident at Watford Community Housing, shares what this could mean for you.

Your chance to have your say!

We have now launched a resident consultation, which will run from 26 November 2025 to 1 February 2026, giving everyone the opportunity to share their views and help shape what happens next. 

To make sure this consultation is fair, transparent, and inclusive, we are partnering with Tpas – The Tenant Engagement Experts. Tpas is an independent tenant engagement specialist with over 30 years of experience helping residents to have a meaningful voice in decisions that affect their homes and communities.

They will lead and support our consultation process to ensure that every resident, across both organisations, has the opportunity to be heard. 

To find out more about the support offered by Tpas, you can download their Resident Information Guide here.

Your feedback will play a vital role in shaping the Boards’ final decision on whether to move forward with the merger. To ensure that this process is confidential, we will always ensure the feedback that you provide via the online survey and drop-in sessions will be kept completely anonymous unless you state otherwise.   

How to have your say

There are several ways to get involved:  

• Complete our online survey: Thrive Homes and Watford Community Housing Merger Consultation (print versions of this form can be made available upon request)
• Call Tpas for free and leave a message on: Tpas Freephone 0800 731 1619
  Tpas will call you back within one working day to discuss your request. (Please note that calls will go to voicemail so that your message can be directed to the right Tpas adviser)
• Email: merger-consultation@tpas.org.uk
  Tpas will be monitoring this inbox Monday to Friday throughout the consultation period and will respond within 2 working days
• Attend one of our drop-in sessions – details below

We want you to share your thoughts, ask questions, or tell us what matters most to you about the merger.

All responses will be independently reviewed and analysed by Tpas, and a summary of what residents say will be published in March 2026.

Join a drop-in session

Come along to speak with colleagues from both organisations and representatives from Tpas. You can ask questions, share your views, or simply find out more.

If you don’t want to attend alone, please feel free to bring someone with you for support. You can also have a family member, friend or carer represent you at our drop-in sessions if you can’t make it.

You can drop in at any time during the session - no need to book. Members of the leadership team for each organisation will join the online sessions at the start.

What's happening and when?

Consultation FAQs