Social housing stock grows in England as social rent homes decline

The Regulator of Social Housing published figures on 27 October 2026 showing that registered providers in England owned around 4.6 million social homes at 31 March 2026, a net increase of approximately 36,000 since 2025. Its annual social housing stock and rents statistics cover both private registered providers and council landlords.

The regulator reported markedly different results across housing categories. Affordable Rent stock increased by more than 24,000 homes and low-cost home ownership by 13,390, while the number of social rent homes fell by just over 1,700.

Where did social housing stock grow?

The decline in social rent homes reflected opposing movements among landlord types. According to the regulator, private registered providers recorded a net gain of 7,829 social rent homes, but local authorities lost 9,570. It said the council reduction was likely to have been driven primarily by Right to Buy sales and other schemes, rather than presenting that explanation as a confirmed breakdown of losses.

Private registered providers also accounted for most of the expansion in the other categories. The regulator attributed 88% of the total increase in Affordable Rent homes and 97% of the increase in low-cost home ownership properties to these providers.

These are stock figures, not simply a count of newly constructed properties. The regulator describes private providers’ additions as homes built, purchased or acquired, so the results should not be read as a housebuilding completions total.

The geographical distribution was uneven. London contained 19.4% of all registered provider-owned social homes, the largest regional share in the regulator’s figures. The North East had the smallest share, at 5.4%. Among individual local authority areas, Birmingham had the largest stock, with just over 107,000 homes.

What do the figures show about social rents?

The regulator reported a 3.2% increase in average weekly net rents for general needs social rent homes between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026. This is a change in the average rent across the stock, rather than a statement that every tenant received the same increase.

For private registered providers, the average weekly general needs social rent in England was £121.72, according to the release. Regional averages ranged from £100.31 in the North East to £154.73 in London. The regulator said local authority rents were lower on average than those charged by private registered providers, without giving a council-wide average in its announcement.

There is an inconsistency in the regulator’s explanation of the annual rent limit. The main announcement describes the 3.2% average increase as being in line with the limit for 2025/26, but its notes state that the annual general needs rent increase limit was 2.7%. The two figures should not be treated as interchangeable.

The notes explain why average rents can rise by more than the stated limit: additions to the stock, homes subject to exceptions and private providers setting rents at the prevailing formula rent when re-letting can affect the year-on-year comparison. That distinction matters when interpreting the published average against changes to an individual tenancy’s rent.

What sits behind England’s social housing totals?

The regulator’s register contained 1,580 providers at 31 March 2026: 230 local authorities and 1,350 private registered providers. Private providers owned around 3 million homes, compared with approximately 1.6 million held by council landlords.

General needs housing, covering social rent and Affordable Rent, represented 82% of the sector’s homes, according to the regulator. Supported housing accounted for 11% and low-cost home ownership for 6%. The overall stock measure therefore extends beyond conventional rented houses and flats.

The definition of a home also needs care. The regulator counts both self-contained accommodation and non-self-contained bed spaces as units, meaning the headline total is not exclusively a count of separate dwellings.

The data comes from two established reporting systems. The regulator has collected private provider information through its Statistical Data Return since 2012. It began collecting the Local Authority Data Return on 1 April 2020, when it assumed responsibility for regulating council rents; council information had previously been gathered through a government housing survey.

Both sets of stock and rent figures are Accredited Official Statistics. The local authority publication says the Office for Statistics Regulation considers that series to meet the required standards of trustworthiness, quality and public value. It also notes methodological differences between the current council collection and its predecessor, which are addressed in the technical documentation.

The regulator’s focus is investment and better information

Will Perry, director of strategy at the Regulator of Social Housing, said the analysis helps landlords assess resilience, plan investment and manage risks affecting current and future tenants. He welcomed providers’ investment in new homes and their efforts to improve knowledge of existing properties, emphasising the importance of reliable information for organisational decisions.

That position sits alongside the regulator’s separate warning about repairs and new homes competing for social housing funding. Its risk assessment said landlords must balance sustained spending on existing homes with pressure to build more.

A separate Homes England clarification concerns support for council development work. Under its Council Housebuilding Support Fund proposal rules, councils outside London can submit one proposal per application window, including work spanning financial years. That is distinct from the stock changes recorded in the regulator’s annual returns.

What happens after the statistics are published?

The regulator has released supporting material for examining the private provider results, including separate briefings on stock, rents and sector characteristics. Its look-up tools allow comparisons by provider, provider group and geography, alongside five-year geographical trends. The publication also covers stock movements and vacancies.

For council landlords, the accompanying release provides a stock and rents briefing, a look-up tool for individual local authority areas and regions, additional tables and raw return data. Methodology notes and technical definitions accompany both releases, providing detail beyond the national announcement.

The publications do not announce a new rent policy, a delivery target or a timetable for further changes. They are retrospective statistical releases intended to support the regulator’s oversight of stock and rent levels, rather than forecasts of the homes that will be available in the coming year.