Registered providers seeking funding from Homes England’s new Social and Affordable Homes Programme must deliver at least 60 percent of homes for social rent, with the housing agency opening bidding for the ten-year scheme worth at least £27 billion.
The 2026-2036 programme requires partners to prioritize social rent whilst demonstrating high-quality, deliverable schemes offering strong value for money. Homes England has published updated bidding guidance outlining requirements and expectations as it calls for bold, ambitious proposals.
Two routes provide access to the funding. Continuous Market Engagement enables partners to work with the agency throughout the programme’s life on a scheme-by-scheme basis, providing greater certainty around grant funding whilst allowing flexible responses to specific local housing needs.
The Strategic Partnership Framework offers long-term funding certainty to partners delivering at pace and scale, enabling larger funding packages supporting ambitious delivery programmes. This route suits organizations capable of sustained high-volume development across the decade.
The £27 billion delivered by Homes England forms part of the government’s £39 billion investment described as the biggest increase in social and affordable housing in a generation. The programme aims to accelerate delivery of hundreds of thousands of new homes for social rent, affordable rent and shared ownership.
Housing and Planning Minister Matthew Pennycook stated: “Today marks an important milestone in the government’s ambition to deliver the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation as we open our new Social and Affordable Homes Programme for business. Working in close partnership with the sector, we have given providers the funding and regulatory certainty they need and we’re now calling on them to come forward with bold, ambitious bids so we can kickstart a decade of social and affordable housing renewal.”
Amy Rees CB, Chief Executive of Homes England, said: “The launch of the Social and Affordable Homes Programme marks a significant step in accelerating the delivery of much-needed affordable housing across England. Our updated bidding guidance clearly sets out what we are looking for: high-quality, deliverable schemes that prioritise social rent and demonstrate strong value for money.”
The refreshed programme emphasizes boosting social rent supply, delivering mixed-tenure developments, and maintaining high standards of design, safety and sustainability. The 60 percent social rent requirement underlines the government’s commitment to prioritizing the most affordable tenures.
Rees added: “We are not just accelerating the supply of new homes, but reshaping the future of affordable housing across the country, driving forward the government’s ambition to build 1.5 million new homes in this parliament and helping to create new vibrant, thriving communities.”
The updated bidding guidance provides clarity and confidence for partners, helping them align proposals with local strategies whilst meeting national housing priorities. The government’s 1.5 million homes target for the current parliament provides context for the programme’s scale and ambition.
Housing providers can access detailed bidding guidance through the Social and Affordable Homes Programme guidance documentation. The guidance explains how to develop strong proposals meeting the programme’s requirements across both the Continuous Market Engagement and Strategic Partnership Framework routes.
The emphasis on social rent reflects government priorities to address housing need at the most affordable end of the market. The inclusion of affordable rent and shared ownership within the programme provides flexibility for mixed-tenure developments whilst maintaining the 60 percent social rent floor.
The decade-long timeframe from 2026 to 2036 offers registered providers long-term planning certainty. Combined with the funding certainty from either bidding route, the programme structure aims to enable sustained delivery at the scale required to meet housing need and create thriving, sustainable communities across England.
