Gov.uk: Affordable housing being driven by new builds but rental figures are still on the slide

November 27, 2019

The latest Gov stats on Affordable Housing Supply have just been released showing that: –

 

  • 66 per cent of new affordable homes in 2018-19 were for rent (including social, affordable and intermediate rent), which has been decreasing since 2014-15, when it was 78 per cent.

 

  • Nearly half (49%) of all affordable homes delivered in 2018-19 were funded through section 106 (nil grant) agreements, similar to the previous year (when it was 48%).

 

  • 92 per cent of affordable homes delivered in England were new build, similar to the previous two years.

 

  • There were 61,056 starts on site in England in 2018-19, a 10 per cent increase on the previous year.

Founder and CEO of Stone Real Estate, Michael Stone, commented:

“It’s encouraging to see that despite the general perceptions of housebuilder land banking and hefty new build price premiums, the sector is driving the delivery of affordable homes reaching the market by a country mile.

However, we are yet to reach previous peaks at a time when we are arguably most in need and so it’s important that we don’t take our foot off the gas and continue to tackle the UK housing crisis head-on, both where stock levels and housing affordability are concerned.”

Founder and CEO of Howsy, Calum Brannan, commented:

“The issue of affordability continues to hangover the UK rental market and with more of us either choosing to rent as a lifestyle choice or simply unable to exit due to the high cost of homeownership, there remains a huge strain on the sector caused by the imbalance between demand and supply.

While it’s great to see that more than half of the affordable housing being delivered is in the form of rental properties, it’s worrying that this level is on the slide and has been for about five years.

Those living in the rental sector are often the most vulnerable and it’s imperative that we focus our efforts on creating an adequate environment in which they can live. The provision of enough rental homes at an affordable cost is just the first step in doing this.”

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