Linbrook covers London and the northern home counties and will become a new division of Wates Living Space which currently builds or refurbishes 30,000 homes a year.

The combined businesses will enable Wates to develop a national response maintenance operation.

The deal will also allow Wates Living Space to expand into providing response services to non-housing market sectors such as education, railways and civic buildings.

Ian Burnett, Managing Director of Wates Living Space, said: “We are delighted to be joining forces with the Linbrook team to achieve Wates Living Space‘s vision to be the leading provider of affordable housing in the UK.

“The acquisition not only offers us the exciting opportunity to grow into new markets, but will also benefit our customers, who will be able to access a fully integrated, cost-efficient service, all under the one roof.”

Paul Drechsler, Chairman and CEO of Wates Group, added: “Wates is always looking at where we can add value for our customers, and joining with Linbrook offers us the opportunity to harness a new set of skills and expertise.

“This move puts Wates Living Space on track towards achieving significant growth in an important market.”

Graham Scott, Managing Director of Linbrook Services, said: “Like Wates, Linbrook is a successful, people-focused business, with a positive culture and emphasis on delivering a first-class service to customers.

“We’re excited about becoming part of a company which shares our values, and look forward to using over forty years’ experience in the response services market to support Wates Living Space’s strategic expansion objectives.”