We design, build and deliver co-living projects.
Leo is a specialist contractor and development partner for co-living, HMO and residential projects in London. Feasibility, design, cost and build — direct to trade, on our own vetted labour. Specialist by focus, contractor by trade.
Construction, development and design & build — under one roof.
We take a co-living, HMO or residential scheme from a development appraisal through to a stabilised, refinanceable building. Hold us to the whole programme, or bring us in for the discipline you're missing.
A responsive, professional fit-out and refurbishment main contractor operating across the UK — with typical contract sizes from £250k up to £5m.
Construction
We build it ourselves and hold the trades directly — no main-contractor margin stacked on top, typically ~20% off delivered cost. Co-living and HMO conversions, private residential, commercial-to-residential, extensions and listed works, run by our own construction management.
Development
We manage the whole project for return, on behalf of investors, family offices and funds — appraisal, design, planning and HMO licensing, programme and cost control across RIBA stages 0–7. The same rigour we'd apply if the asset were our own.
Design & build
Working with our design partners, we produce the concept and planning application and carry it through to handover — a single team accountable for the drawing and the build, delivered on time and on budget.
Co-living isn't a normal build.
Treat an HMO like any other refurb and you lose rooms, hit licensing problems and end up with a finish that won't trade at an institutional yield.
We don't subcontract the labour problem.
"Direct to trade" only works if you can actually get the trades. We own a construction recruitment platform and a CIS payments rail — so we mobilise vetted labour directly, and the main-contractor margin stays in your scheme.
How the labour pipeline works →Our own trades network.
Co-living & HMO.
West Hampstead
28 beds
Tooting
18 beds
Maida Vale
10 bedsHigh Wycombe
5 units
Elephant & Castle
48 beds
Finsbury Park
16 bedsNot just co-living. We build homes.
The same main-contractor team delivers private residential across London and the Home Counties — new build, heavy refurbishment, extensions, conversions and heritage restoration, finished to a private-client standard.
Chorleywood
Family home, new build and refurbishment in Hertfordshire.
Berwick Road
Full residential refurbishment and reconfiguration.
The Carriage House
Character conversion of a former carriage house into a home.
Sophies Cottage
End-to-end cottage renovation and modernisation.
Beaumont Mews
Restoration of a heritage building in a countryside setting.
Hotel, hospitality and commercial — up to £100m+.
Co-living, HMO and residential is where we focus, but the team has project-managed hotel and commercial programmes at scale. Useful when a scheme is mixed-use or doesn't fit a single box.
Office-to-hotel, London
90-bed conversion, sold pre-launch.
Linthwaite House, UK
Leeu Collection hotel, lakes & spa.
Florence, Italy
Development sold to operator mid-build.
Lisbon & Málaga
58 beds across two jurisdictions.
Operators with 50+ years' combined experience in construction and development.
James Beare
James Beare
A fully qualified and chartered construction manager with over 10 years' experience in the industry. Specialising in design management and coordination, he prepares project briefs, submits schemes to planning and coordinates all technical information to the build teams.
His approach is to collaborate objectively with every client, working to ensure all project aims are met and expectations exceeded.
Victoria Bosworth
Victoria Bosworth
An experienced project manager with over 17 years in high-level roles, including work in Dubai for a strategic advisory firm representing the city's leadership, and managing major international events such as the Race to Dubai and Dubai World Cup.
With a background in business strategy, operations and property management, she oversees Leo's structure, finances and day-to-day operations.
James Murchie
James Murchie
A results-oriented construction manager with over 10 years' experience across residential, commercial and industrial projects. Starting in groundworks, Jim has worked through every phase of the build, progressing into on-site management — though he still likes to get stuck in.
He pulls the subcontractors together and gets the very best from them, on time and effectively.
Nick Boswell
Nick Boswell
Over 10 years developing real estate across residential, HMO and hotel sectors, with £140m+ GDV transacted across the UK, Europe, South Africa, India and the Caribbean. Previously Project Lead at Cohabs UK, Head of Project Development at Onzite (Zurich) and Senior PM EMEA at MAX Estates.
He runs the finance and operations side of Leo, as well as the technical product work at Petl Pay that drives efficiency across projects.
Questions we get asked.
What does Leo do?
Leo is a specialist contractor and development partner for co-living, HMO and residential projects in London and the South-East. We provide construction, development management and quantity surveying across RIBA stages 0–7 — feasibility through to a stabilised building.
What areas do you cover?
London and the South-East are our core, but we operate as a fit-out and refurbishment main contractor across the UK, with delivery led by JBP Developments.
How much can building direct to trade save?
Typically around 20% of delivered cost. We hold the trades directly through our own construction recruitment platform rather than stacking a main-contractor margin on top.
Do you handle HMO licensing and planning?
Yes. HMO licensing, Article 4 directions and fire strategy are resolved at feasibility as part of our development management — not discovered on site.
Do you only build co-living?
Co-living and HMO is our focus, but we also deliver private residential — refurbishment, extensions, conversions and new build — and have project-managed hotel and commercial programmes up to £100m+.
Do you co-invest in projects?
For the right scheme, yes — taking a profit-share or joining as a JV development partner, aligned on the same exit as you.
What size projects do you take on?
Typical contract sizes run from £250k up to £5m — from single fit-outs and refurbishments through to full co-living and HMO conversions.
Have a project? Reach out to our team.
Send the address and what you're trying to do. We'll come back with a straight view on whether it works and what it would take to build.