We are pleased to announce that we will be called Chime Housing following our merger with Watford Community Housing.
In March, we confirmed that the Boards of both Thrive Homes and Watford Community Housing had approved the merger, which will formally complete on 1 June 2026.
We will come together as a new Community Gateway housing association under the name Chime Housing, which will own and manage more than 13,500 homes in Hertfordshire and the surrounding areas.
The name was chosen following detailed research and analysis, taking into account the views of residents, employees and other stakeholders. This includes the feedback we received through our ten-week customer consultation and a dedicated resident workshop.
One of the key themes that consistently came up during the research was the importance of community and togetherness, which underpins the Community Gateway ethos – and our new name reflects this.
Hattie Llewelyn-Davies, Group Board Chair Designate, said:
“We’re delighted to announce the name of our new organisation as Chime Housing – a name that captures the shared values and ambitions of the two housing associations we are bringing together.
“As we form our new Community Gateway organisation, we’re committed to being fully aligned with our residents, remaining in chime with their needs and expectations, through close engagement and collaborative decision-making.”
Our new visual identity
The name is supported by a brand identity marque in the form of a wren, which symbolises togetherness. Wrens are frequently found in Hertfordshire gardens, woodlands and urban areas, with a group of wrens being known as a ‘chime’.
Paul Richmond, Chief Executive Designate of Chime Housing, said: “Our new name speaks to our commitment to working alongside our residents to build an organisation that can deliver great services and help to foster stronger communities in the areas we serve.
“This new brand featuring a wren symbolises the strength that we will find by merging two successful housing associations and forging close ties with our residents, just as a chime of wrens finds strength in numbers.”
What does the merger mean for residents?
The merger is all about building on our existing strengths to improve the services we provide and deliver more for residents.
If you are a Watford Community Housing or Thrive customer, you do not need to do anything, and you will retain all your existing tenancy rights, terms and conditions.
We expect that it will take around 18-24 months to fully bring together all of our services, so changes will be gradual.
We will start to roll out our new name over the coming months, but we won’t do everything at once. This means that you will continue to see our old branding on some items for a while, as we work to roll out the new identity.
We will also make sure that items are updated in a way that is cost-effective. For example, we may update the branding on our vans in batches, when they are due for renewal anyway.
You can continue to contact us in the usual way. We will contact you if we make any changes that you need to know about.
Further information about the merger, including FAQs and updates, is available here.