SENIOR ASSET MANAGEMENT CAPACITY
For landlords who need it.
We support local authorities, ALMOs, registered providers, and housing associations facing regulatory pressure, capacity gaps, or major programmes that demand experienced practitioner leadership.
The challenge we solve
Senior asset management capacity is genuinely scarce in UK affordable social housing right now. The regulatory environment has changed quickly, and the senior practitioner pipeline has not kept pace
Awaab's Law has reset operational expectations. Decent Homes Standard 2 is reshaping investment programmes. The Building Safety Regulator has changed how higher-risk buildings are managed. The work has multiplied. The bench has not.
Many landlords find themselves with major programmes to deliver, regulatory deadlines to meet, and not enough senior capacity to do the work justice. That is the gap we are built to fill.
Who we are
Ground Up Consulting's Asset Management Practice is led by Ola Onabajo, a senior asset management practitioner with over 25 years of experience in UK affordable social housing.
Our experience is current, not historic. Most recently, until July 2026, Ola was Service Manager (Asset Management) at a major UK local authority, leading across housing, corporate, and heritage portfolios. Her role spanned strategic planning, statutory compliance management across all six regulated disciplines, capital investment programming, and senior IT project sponsorship.
This is the practice of someone who has done the work, in the regulatory environment that exists today.
What we offer
We work with clients in four broad ways. Engagements are scoped to the problem, not to a fixed product.
Audit & Advisory
Time-bounded reviews and recommendations. Stock condition strategy reviews, compliance regime audits, asset management plan refreshes, options appraisals, business cases.
Programme Leadership
Embedded leadership of a defined programme. Decent Homes 2 readiness, Awaab's Law implementation, building safety remediation, statutory compliance overhauls, decarbonisation.
Interim & Fractional Senior Cover
Senior capacity while you recruit or transition. Head of Asset Management, Head of Compliance, or Asset Director cover.
Project Sponsorship
Senior responsible owner role for major capital and transformation programmes.
Track record
A selection of the work that sits behind the practice:
Most recently, until July 2026, Service Manager (Asset Management) at a major UK local authority, leading asset management across housing, corporate, and heritage portfolios. Over 25 years in UK affordable social housing.
Author of the Strategic Asset Management Plan for a major UK city's heritage portfolio, securing Cabinet approval that unlocked a £7m capital programme of repairs.
Strengthened the statutory compliance management framework for a 5,000-home stock at a large southern England housing association, achieving and maintaining full compliance across all six regulated disciplines.
Delivered the Decent Homes programme to completion at a large southern England housing association, foundational work that has since contributed to the organisation's C1 grading from the Regulator of Social Housing.
Project sponsor for the implementation of NEC Assets and C365 for statutory building compliance management, and for the upgrade of TechnologyForge across a major local authority's corporate property portfolio.
How we engage
Audit and advisory — typically 5 to 25 days, fixed-fee.
Programme leadership — 3 to 18 months, typically 1 to 3 days per week.
Interim and fractional senior cover — 3 to 12 months, typically 2 to 4 days per week.
Project sponsorship — 6 to 24 months, typically half a day to one day per week.
Engagements priced on enquiry.
Work with us
For a conversation about how Ground Up Consulting can help, get in touch.