Build more, buy more - creating social housing from existing homes

• Existing buildings can be utilised to provide more housing for Londoners, through methods such as buying back former council homes and buying on the open market.
• If each local authority in London purchased 200-250 homes a year through these alternative, non-construction methods for social housing, it would make a significant difference with around 6000-8000 extra social rented homes across London.
• To put this into context, the 2021 Affordable Housing Monitor showed that in 2020-21 there were 6,162 new homes started at social or London Affordable Rent and 2,208 new home completions at these tenures, so the additions could have a highly significant impact.[2]

The London Assembly Housing Committee has published a letter today to the Mayor of London on non-construction methods for expanding social housing in London. The letter makes recommendations on how the Mayor can utilise these ways to provide more affordable housing for Londoners.

Although newly-built social housing is a key priority, to meet existing and future demand for housing, existing homes need to be part of the equation.

Recommendations to the Mayor include:

• Assess the different models of expanding social housing to determine the potential contribution each could make to expanding supply.
• Work towards the next housing funding bid to Government to include an investigation into the potential costs and value for money of non-construction methods.
• Review the application of current conditions for acquisition in capital funding guidance to examine whether there could be more flexibility applied to standards, particularly when good quality former council homes are being brought back into social housing.

Siân Berry AM, Chair of the London Assembly Housing Committee, said:

“London desperately needs more affordable homes and I am really excited at the potential of alternative or non-construction methods in increasing the affordable housing stock. We are talking 6-8,000 more affordable homes to add to the mix, and they don’t have to be built from scratch because they already exist. These alternative methods could certainly be utilised more by the Mayor and local councils to help build the numbers of affordable homes London needs.

“Progress is being made right across London, but the Mayor needs to actively investigate and pursue these different methods. At the moment, they don’t feature within his Housing Strategy. If he is ever to reach the targets that he has set, overlooking these alternative ways will be to the detriment of Londoners, who deserve an affordable home to live in.”