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Our Lasting Impact 2025 - 2026

Providing Homes Improving Lives

Introduction from our Chair and CEO. Every year, thousands of people interact with Link’s services. They move into a new home, receive support during a difficult period, gain new skills, access advice, find greater independence or become more connected to their community. Our Lasting Impact celebrates the difference these interactions make and the positive outcomes that can be achieved when people, communities and organisations work together. Throughout this report, you will see how Link continues to deliver on its mission of Providing Homes, Improving Lives. From investing in new and existing homes to supporting financial wellbeing, promoting independence, strengthening communities and embracing innovation, our work is focused on creating lasting benefits for the people we serve. The past year has presented many challenges. Economic uncertainty, continuing pressures on household finances and increasing demand for affordable housing have all shaped the environment in which we operate. Yet despite these challenges, Link has remained focused on what matters most: supporting our customers and investing in their futures. What stands out most in this report is the breadth of our impact. It can be seen in the homes we build, the communities we support, the opportunities we create and the lives we help improve. It can also be seen in the dedication of our colleagues, the commitment of our partners and the invaluable contribution of our customers, whose voices help shape our services. As Chair, I am immensely proud of what has been achieved across the Group during the past year. These achievements are only possible because of the collective efforts of colleagues, Board Members, customers and partners who share our vision of creating places where people can thrive. While much has been accomplished, we know there is more to do. As we look ahead, we remain committed to delivering services that respond to changing needs, investing responsibly in homes and communities and creating an organisation that continues to make a meaningful difference for generations to come. I hope you enjoy reading Our Lasting Impact and learning more about the people, partnerships and achievements that have shaped our year.

Pamela Woodburn Link Group Board Chair

Group mission statement: Providing Homes, Improving Lives. Purpose:

Provide a wide range of affordable and accessible housing services and create an environment which our customers can proudly call home.

Jon Turner

Link Group Chief Executive

Working together to Provide Homes & Improve Lives... Creating positive outcomes for our customers requires collaboration, shared purpose and a commitment to working together across every part of our organisation.

Communities colleagues work directly with tenants and communities to understand needs, tackle inequality and help people sustain their tenancies.

Commercial teams build new homes, invest and maintain existing homes and deliver commercial services that generate profitable income for reinvestment.

Corporate Services colleagues provide the governance, financial expertise, digital innovation and people-focused support that enable the entire organisation to operate effectively and responsibly. Together, these services create a connected approach that places customers at the heart of everything we do, and this year, collaboration has helped us respond to the challenges facing our tenants and communities. Rising living costs, housing pressures, changing customer expectations and the need to invest for a net zero future demand joined-up solutions. By sharing knowledge, data and resources across service areas, we have been able to provide both practical support today and long-term investment for tomorrow. Whether securing financial support for households, developing new homes, improving existing properties, investing in digital services or supporting colleague wellbeing, every achievement has been strengthened through partnership working.

Our collective efforts have delivered meaningful results. We have continued to build and maintain highquality homes, supported thousands of people through housing, wellbeing and community programmes, strengthened our financial resilience and invested in the skills, technology and infrastructure needed for future success. Most importantly, we have done so while remaining focused on our mission of providing homes and improving lives. Looking ahead, the challenges facing the housing sector and wider society will continue to evolve. However, we are confident that by working together across our organisation, listening to our customers and supporting one another, we can continue to make a positive difference. Our ambition is not only to provide homes, but to help create places where people can flourish, communities can thrive and future generations can succeed. We are proud of what our colleagues and partners have achieved together this year, and we look forward to building on these successes in the years ahead.

“Sustainable communities are built when people have the support, opportunities and confidence to thrive. This year, we have worked alongside tenants, partners and communities to tackle inequality, improve wellbeing and create opportunities that strengthen resilience and help people and places flourish. Together, we are building more inclusive, connected and sustainable communities where everyone can achieve their potential.”

Sarah Smith

Executive Director, Communities

“Providing homes and improving lives is at the centre of what we do. Our investment in improving tenant’s homes is increasing every year, while we continue to ensure homes are safe and well maintained. We recognise the need to provide more homes and our award-winning new homes programme is well in flight, helping to create sustainable communities. Our range of commercial services play an important part in improving the lives of our customers and providing housing choices that are right for them.”

Colin Culross

Executive Director, Commercial

“Our role is to ensure Link remains strong, wellgoverned and prepared for the future. Through sound financial management, effective oversight and investment in our people, we are creating the conditions that allow our services, customers and communities to thrive.”

Tom Harvie -Clark

Executive Director, Coporate Services

Link at a glance...

Delivering value, strengthening communities and making a d

1,525

10,850

Other homes

Social homes

958

Employees

£16.5m

£1bn+

Invested in planned maintenance

Asset base

£4.4m

Benefits secured for tenants

350k+

Hours of staff training

2,878

People supported through LinkLiving

difference Link Group

Find out about Sustainability at Link here!

Our people

Our greatest asset Behind every tenancy, repair, advice appointment, support service and community project are skilled colleagues working to deliver positive outcomes for customers every day. Developing skills for the future Learning and development remains one of the most important ways we invest in service improvement. During the year, colleagues completed more than 351,000 hours of training and learning activities, helping to strengthen professional expertise, improve leadership capability, and ensure services continue to evolve in response to changing customer needs. Supporting colleagues to deliver their best The wellbeing of our colleagues is closely linked to the quality of services we provide. Throughout the year, we continued to expand the support available to employees through mentoring opportunities, wellbeing initiatives, enhanced mental health support and flexible workplace benefits. Our commitment to creating a positive, inclusive workplace continued to be recognised through a range of external accreditations, including Investors in People Gold, Investors in Young People Gold, Investors in People Healthy Workplaces, Disability Confident Leader status and accreditation as an Engaged Carer Positive Employer.

Inspiring Leaders developed

Aspiring leaders developed

Leading with Influence participants

Insights personality profiles completed

Our people are our greatest strength. By investing in learning and development, and maintaining accreditations, we are helping colleagues thrive and deliver great outcomes for customers. Together with strong governance and assurance, this is building a resilient organisation for the future.

Helen Bayne Link Group Director of People & Governance

Financial strength

Investing today, planning for tomorrow Providing homes and improving lives requires long-term thinking. Every decision we make must balance today’s needs with our responsibility to protect and strengthen our ability to deliver for tenants in the years and decades ahead. During 2025/26, Link Group continued to operate in a challenging economic environment. Inflation pressures, higher interest rates, increasing compliance requirements and wider global uncertainty all continued to impact organisations across the housing sector. Despite these challenges, we maintained a strong financial position and continued to invest in homes, services and communities. Our financial resilience provides the foundation that enables us to deliver services, maintain and improve existing homes, invest in new developments and support tenants through changing economic circumstances. Maintaining this resilience remains a key priority as we continue to address growing housing need, net zero, and work towards our long-term ambitions. Link also retained its A credit rating with a stable outlook from Standard & Poor’s, highlighting confidence in our long-term financial sustainability and ability to deliver our strategic objectives. This continued confidence helps ensure access to the funding needed to invest in new homes, improve existing properties and support our future ambitions and objectives.

£4.8m

£127.4m

Net surplus

£4m

Operating surplus

Turnover

£164.4m Reserves

Strong finances give us the ability to invest with confidence, supporting today’s customers while planning for tomorrow’s needs. Despite a challenging economic environment, we have maintained a resilient financial position that enables us to continue improving homes, services and communities

Nick Pollard

Link Group Director of Finance

£1bn+

Asset base

Supporting people where it matters most

Putting customers first through responsive services, meaningful support and st Link Group Housing Services

The scale of housing services provided

10,850

c.108k+

Social homes

Calls and emails

c.1k

Web chats

Supporting customers with financial advice Welfare Rights and Debt Support

£4.4m+

1,488

Benefits secured

Households supported

£581k+ Debt managed

96%

Customer satisfaction

Digital support

Lightning Reach: One-stop portal, helping individuals connect to multiple forms of support

794

£46k+

Tenants reached

Support received by tenants so far

94%

Customers self-served

Front-line support

Helping customers stay secure, supported and connected.

7,753 Annual tenancy reviews

129

Number of frontline housing colleagues

1,890

Tenants given advice on arrears

£50k

Child poverty fund created and distributed

trong local connections Tenant Engagement

Turning customer insight into meaningful action and better services

CX-Feedback Platform used for surveys

500+

Attendees at Bathgate funday

Local tenant organisations supported

“Just want to say thank you again for all your help and understanding. I really appreciate it and has taken the stress of it all away.” - Customer feedback

Everything we do starts with our customers. By listening, responding and continuously improving our services, we aim to provide homes and support that help people feel safe, valued and empowered to thrive within their communities.

David Mackenzie

Director of Housing Services

New

Tenant experience panel

Creating sustainable communities where people c Effective Strategic Asset Management is at the heart of Link’s investment plans and relies on well informed, robust data on the condition and energy performance of our tenant’s homes. During the year, the building blocks of a new Asset Management Strategy were developed, supported by our new Asset Management System, strengthening our ability to make data lead investment decisions to ensure the sustainability of our housing portfolio.

C~urb is more than Link’s commercial partner, helping deliver the services, savings and investment that strengthen our impact. Increasing the supply of new affordable homes and increase in services to other Housing Associations

New homes completed for Link

£429m

Five-year investment programme

Community benefits Employment Community Benefits were created in 2025/26 through the new build programme:

41 Work Placements 19 Apprenticeships 18 New Jobs 3 Graduate Trainee

338

Homes under construction for Link

102

Homes under construction for other HAs

can thrive.

New Supply Shared Equity sold

Reprovisioned properties successfully marketed and sold

Shared Equity

Private Sector Leasing Leasing and managing homes on behalf of local authority partner.

1,829

PSL homes managed inreased

98%

PSL complaints handled on time

Factoring service Managing shared buildings, communal spaces and property services.

7,210

Factoring customers

Substantial assurance Factoring audit

High satisfaction reflects our commitment to putting customers first.

100%

Open Market Shared Equity

97%

After Sales

Celebrating achievements Celebrating the milestones that help us provide better homes, services and opportunities.

c.£800k

Profit generated for reinvesting

MyPSL

Improved service delivered through the new MyPSL Tenant App

Creating sustainable communities where people c Building success

Significant improvement in our performance standards.

Major investment in our tenant’s homes while ensuring we keep them maintained and safe

£16.5m

548

Invested in planned/ cyclical maintenance and major repairs

Bathrooms replaced

408

507

326

Doors installed

Kitchens replaced

Windows installed

Repositioning our assets

Transforming and increasing income from renovated property disposals. We generated £2.7m additional sales income.

Adaptations £9.5m

Invested in reactive repairs and maintenance

8 days

Average nonemergency repair completion time

3 hours

Average emergency repair completion time

Largest installation programme delivered to date. Accessibility adaptations deliver life changing improvements

388

Adaptations carried out - major and minor

100%

Adaptation customer satisfaction

can thrive. This year saw significant progress across our commercial operations, from completing RAAC remediation works and office alterations to winning the Cairn bathroom contract and advancing plans for a new digital repairs service. These achievements, coupled with improving customer satisfaction, demonstrate our focus on continuous improvement and service excellence. Delivering essential safety checks and inspections to keep homes compliant, secure and well maintained:

2,623

Electrical safety inspections completed

100%

Gas compliance

£2.1m

Investment in major improvement works

Helping people build brighter futures

LinkLiving provides care, support, employability and wellbeing services that help pe

2,878

People supported through LinkLiving

96%

Have confidence in the people supporting them

297

Tenants supported through the HoME Project

95%

Have confidence in LinkLiving as an organisation

Tenants supported through the Building Resilience for a Better Home project

I feel safer am so glad are in my

Voluntary Fundraising Income

Sponsor the Sparkle: Christmas appeal

£16,094

£20,670

-LinkLiving

Every p challeng emotio persona people bu positive fu

eople overcome challenges, live independently and build brighter futures.

1,174

Professionals trained through LinkLiving’s Skills Academy

now, and I LinkLiving y life now.

6 (Excellent) and 5 (Very Good)

Care Inspectorate grades across regulated services

94%

Satisfied with the service received

g customer

person we support has their own goals, ges and aspirations. Through practical and onal support, learning opportunities and al development activities, LinkLiving helps uild confidence, develop resilience and create utures for themselves and their communities.

Lee Williamson

Director of LinkLiving Services & Development

High Confidence Qualifications Scotland rating

93%

Feel involved in decisions about their support

Connecting communities through innovation and

Using innovation, partnerships and practical support to improve lives and strengthe

220

Starter packs provided to help new tenants settle into their homes

£38,825

Total grants provided through the Link in the Community Fund

Partnership working With Salvation Army, Cycle Scotland, utility providers, foodbanks and Social Security Scotland

210+

Community awards made

Cost of Living support events Delivered with local and national partners to provide advice, information and practical assistance

The true value of community wellbeing work lies in its lasting impact. By investing in people, relationships and local opportunities today, we help overcome challenges, improve outcomes and build stronger, more sustainable communities for tomorrow

Grant Alexander

Head of Community Wellbeing

opportunity

en communities.

Moving from Foundations to Transformation This year marks an important transition in our digital journey. To support Link’s long-term ambitions, a new Digital Operational Strategy for 2026-29 has been developed, setting out how technology will help improve services, support colleagues and deliver better outcomes for customers. The strategy focuses on three key priorities: Creating better customer experiences by making services simpler, more accessible and easier to use. Through reviewing customer journeys, systems and processes, we are identifying opportunities to improve how customers interact with Link and access support. Making better use of information by strengthening data quality, reporting and insight. This will help us better understand customer needs, make more informed decisions and target resources where they can have the greatest impact. Exploring Artificial Intelligence and Automation to improve efficiency and enhance services. During the year, we successfully piloted Microsoft Copilot and introduced Link’s first Artificial Intelligence Framework, helping ensure emerging technologies are used safely, responsibly and effectively across the organisation. Together, these priorities will help us build more connected, responsive and future-focused services, making it easier for customers to access the support they need while enabling colleagues to work more effectively.

Ken Fox

Link Director of Digital Services

Putting customers at the heart of what we do Listening to customer voices, learning from lived experiences and using feedback to shape better services. “ I honestly think Link are fantastic, I have friends in private housing who are really struggling, so I’m eternally thankful to be a Link tenant - I’m grateful that places like Link exist. ”

“ I genuinely feel that Link has given me more than just a house, they have given me the opportunity to have a fresh start and to live somewhere I can finally feel comfortable, safe and at peace. ”

“ I was really pleased with the upgrading of windows and doors in my house last year. The installation of a shower would help towards keeping down my energy costs as it costs less to have showers than having the gas boiler on heating water for baths. ”

“ I liked and appreciated the support I received from my worker on becoming more confident in my own home along with finding opportunities to help me be less isolated. ”

“ Changed my life around. ” “ The service made me feel safe and understood. I felt supported and listened to. ”

“ The staff are very friendly and helpful. They’ve helped to improve my standard of living a lot, which has improved my mental health greatly. ”