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Social and affordable lettings drop by 40,000
New lettings of social and affordable rented housing in England plummeted by almost 11% last year, government figures show.
Housing associations and councils let 334,602 homes for below market rent in 2016/17, down from 374,586 a year earlier.
That is the lowest level recorded in the stats, released yesterday by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, which go back to 2007/08.
General-needs social rent lettings fell by 14,103 for housing association homes and 8,948 for local authority homes in 2016/17.
Supported housing social rent lettings dropped 12,948 among housing association stock and 1,389 for council stock.
Council-supported housing lettings have tumbled 45% since 2007/08, while total social rent lettings have dropped by 20.9% over that period.
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Affordable rent levels also dropped for the first time since the government’s affordable rent programme was introduced in 2011/12, despite a modest increase in council homes available for affordable rent.
Housing association affordable rent lettings fell by 2,632, while 36 additional council homes for affordable rent became available.
Conversions to affordable products and Right to Buy sales are likely to be behind drops in social rent lettings, as well as slightly fewer completions and tenant turnover in 2016/17.
Inside Housing understands the Greater London Authority’s decision to no longer allow social-to-affordable conversions could have driven the reduction in new affordable rent lettings.
Housing minister Dominic Raab said: “The latest social housing data show landlords are taking less time to rent out their properties once they become vacant and for the first time since 2007 the cost of social rent has reduced.
“We want to do much more. Through planning reform, release of public sector land, targeted investment and our Social Housing Green Paper, will build the homes Britain needs and people can afford.”
Research by the Chartered Institute of Housing released this morning revealed that 150,000 socially rented homes were “lost” between 2012 and 2017.
