New Homes Surge by 12% – Affordable Housing on the Rise

Contractors, key workers, and self-employed homebuyers — a growing pipeline of affordable housing may widen your options. Homes England has reported a 12% rise in housing completions to March 2025, with strong growth in social and affordable rent categories, creating new opportunities for buyers locked out of high-priced markets.

According to new data from Homes England, 36,872 new homes were completed in the 12 months to 31 March 2025 — a 12% increase year-on-year. Affordable homes accounted for 28,370 of these, up 15% on last year, and making up 77% of total completions. This surge is credited to the maturing of the Affordable Homes Programme (AHP) 2021–2026, with early-stage developments now reaching completion. Key growth areas include: Social Rent: 5,732 homes, up 33% Affordable Rent: 10,755 homes, up 15% Shared Ownership & Intermediate Schemes: 11,883 homes, up 13% Homes England Chief Executive Eamonn Boylan said: “These statistics demonstrate the commitment and determination of the sector to build the new homes and communities the country needs.”

Housing starts rose 5% to 38,308, with 30,087 (79%) allocated as affordable. However, the mix shifted year-on-year: Social Rent starts: 5,680, up 43% Intermediate Affordable starts: 2,800, down 27% Affordable Rent starts: 2,665, down 18% Tenure TBC: 18,942 starts, a slight 1% increase Notably, 96% of affordable housing starts came via the current AHP 2021–2026 — a leap from 74% last year. The former Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme (SOAHP) 2016–2021 has now completed all starts, after exceeding its goal with 136,169 homes. Meanwhile, the government has committed a further £39 billion in funding for affordable homes over the next decade and will launch a National Housing Bank to help unlock over £53 billion in private investment.