IDS was established as the Four Per Cent Dwellings Company in 1885 by a group of Jewish philanthropists who hoped to relieve the overcrowding in homes in the East End of London. In 1952, it became the Industrial Dwellings Society (1885) Ltd. Today, IDS manages around 1,500 properties in Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Southwark, Camden, Haringey, Redbridge, Barnet and Hertsmere. The housing stock includes flats, houses, sheltered housing, accommodation for people with special needs, as well as a number of shared ownership properties.
