New Homes England 2021-22 housebuilding statistics revealed

Housing programmes delivered by Homes England resulted in 38,436 new houses starting on-site and 37,164 houses completed between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022, as the sector began to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.

• Proportion of affordable homes started and completed was up on the previous year
• Increase in both starts and completions a result of a recovery in housebuilding activity following the slowdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Housing programmes delivered by Homes England saw an overall increase in starts and completions in 2021-22 compared to the previous year, according to official statistics released today (23 June).

Last year there were 38,436 new homes started on-site and 37,164 houses completed between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022. Three-quarters (72 per cent) of starts (27,509) were for affordable homes. This marks a decrease of 2 per cent on the previous year, however this was expected due to the closure of bidding for the Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme (SOAHP) 2016-21 and the gradual build-up of starts from the newly launched Affordable Homes Programme (AHP) 2021-26.

Of the housing completions, 26,485 (71 per cent) were for affordable homes, which is an 11 per cent increase on the previous year.

A total of 5,606 affordable homes started in 2021-22 were for Affordable Rent. There were 4,778 starts under schemes including Shared Ownership and Rent to Buy. 15,144 starts were defined as ‘Affordable Tenure TBC’ homes, where the ultimate tenure category is not known until completion. The remaining 1,981 were for Social Rent, a 23 per cent decrease on the previous year.

Of the affordable homes completed, 13,929 were for Affordable Rent, an increase of 5 percent on the previous year, and 9,479 under Intermediate Affordable Housing schemes. The remaining 3,077 were Social Rent completions, up 62 per cent on the previous year.

Peter Denton, Chief Executive of Homes England, said:

The statistics released today show the incredible strides the housing industry has made to recover from the slowdown and subsequent supply issues caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

During the last period, we began taking applications for grant funding through the new £8.6bn Affordable Homes Programme and announced the new tranche of 31 Strategic Partnerships we have formed that will provide public and private sector partner organisations with the tools they need to plan and act strategically, shaping their communities and building up to 90,000 new homes.

Housing is a central part of Levelling Up, and as we continue to support the government’s ambitions in this area, our work with partners from across the sector will be key to creating the homes and neighbourhoods the country needs, in the places that people want to live.

Notes to Editors

National housing statistics are published twice a year showing half and full year starts and completions as part of planned national statistical releases. The next release is half year starts and completions, which are due to be published in November/December 2022. Housing figures cannot be provided outside of these official releases.

Homes England programmes are funded by central government to enable private registered providers, house builders, community groups and local authorities to deliver affordable housing.

This release presents the housing starts on site and housing completions delivered by Homes England between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022 in England excluding London (for both the current and historical series), with the exception of the Build to Rent (BTR) and the Home Building Fund – Short Term Fund (HBF-STF) programmes which are administered by Homes England on behalf of the Greater London Authority (GLA) and where delivery covers all of England including London.

Since April 2012, the Mayor of London has had oversight of strategic housing, regeneration and economic development in London. This means that Homes England no longer publishes housing starts on site and completions for London, except where Homes England is administering a programme on behalf of the GLA.

The list of programmes included in these totals are detailed in the official housing statistics report, which can be found here [Housing Statistics 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 - National statistics announcement - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)]

“Affordable Tenure TBC” refers to units that have reached the start on site milestone but where the tenure of these units has not yet been specified. This was introduced as a flexibility for Strategic Partnerships to enable them to determine tenure close to or at the point of completion. These starts will be restated under their specified tenure headings in future national statistics updates once the tenure has been established at completion.

Homes England also manages the Help to Buy equity loan scheme in England (including in London on behalf of the GLA). However, the completions are reported by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) and, therefore, are excluded from these statistics.