The borough’s oldest charity is selling 11 of the 12 houses it owns on one street in South Croydon in a £4million property disposal.
For sale: one of the Helder Street cottages that are being sold off by the almshouses charity
The housing being sold off represents the bulk of Croydon Almshouses’ property portfolio, which comprises 16 residential and eight commercial properties.
Croydon Almshouses, which traces its history back to 1447 and local merchant Elis David, has begun the process of off-loading all-but-one of its terraced houses on Helder Street, the start of what is intended to be a two-year process to try to avoid crashing the local housing market (at a time when Donald Trump is managing to do that all on his own…).
“Rising demand, combined with a decline in available public resources, means charities such as Croydon Almshouses are under increasing pressure to ensure their assets are used as effectively as possible,” the charity said in announcing the disposals.
The houses being sold are smart-looking from the outside, two-up, two-down cottages dating from the turn of the 20th Century. The first three are on sale now via a local estate agent, all vacant possession, priced between £350,000 and £400,000.
Elis David, sometimes referred to as Elias Davy, provided homes for seven poor people of Croydon in 1447 – predating Archbishop Whitgift and his almshouses by almost 150 years. The charity holds £25million in investment funds, with annual income of £1.7million. It says it receives no public grant aid.
Its principal operation is the almshouses for the elderly of Croydon – these built in 1974 – on Duppas Hill Terrace.
The houses on Helder Street are the major part of the Croydon Almshouses’ property portfolio. Croydon Almshouses underwent a corporate reorganisation and re-registrationin late 2025. A “strategy review” last year looked at “the charity’s assets and funds to ensure the charity continues to support the growing number of older people in Croydon, with increasingly complex needs”.
Balancing: Croydon Almshouses CEO Hayley James
And they say, “As a result of the review, Croydon Almshouses has taken the decision to sell some of their investment properties, including residential properties on Helder Street. The assessment found that these properties no longer delivered a sufficient return on investment to justify their retention.”
Hayley James, Croydon Almshouses’s CEO, said: “We are mindful that these decisions have real-life consequences. Our priority is to treat tenants with compassion and respect, and we are committed to working closely with those affected to provide practical support during what we understand may be a difficult time.”
The charity’s re-organisation, at the end of 2025, means that it now has more flexibility over how it uses – or spends – its capital holdings.
“The decision to sell some of our investment properties, along with adopting a new investment approach will enable us to continue balancing the needs of today’s beneficiaries with our responsibility to safeguard resources for the future,” James said.
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