Homes England has marked a significant milestone in its bid to boost housebuilding across England, with new data showing an 11% rise in starts for 2025-26. The agency reported that 42,433 new homes began construction during this period, while 40,332 properties reached completion – both figures representing notable increases on the previous year.
A key driver of this growth was the government's focus on affordable housing initiatives. Eighty per cent of all completions were designated as affordable, totalling 32,243 units – a 14% increase from the preceding year. Similarly, 78% of new housing starts, amounting to 33,171 homes, were classified as affordable, marking a 12% rise.
Within the affordable sector, trends varied across different tenures. Completions for social rent homes surged by 65%, reaching 9,381 units – the highest increase among all categories. In contrast, completions for affordable rent homes declined by 12%, totalling 9,460 units. On the starts side, social rent saw a 24% decrease, while affordable rent starts dropped by 44%.
The majority of these affordable homes were delivered through key government programmes. The Affordable Homes Programme (AHP) 2021-26 accounted for 82% of affordable starts, with the Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP) – Bridge Funding contributing 13%. Other initiatives included the Home Building Fund and the Single Land Programme.
Amy Rees CB, Chief Executive of Homes England, welcomed the progress made, highlighting the significant increase in social rent completions. The agency's CEO noted that with £39 billion invested in the Social and Affordable Homes Programme, strong foundations are now in place to drive long-term momentum – despite ongoing challenges facing the UK housing market.