NEWS·FEBRUARY 2026
Homes England has formally opened bidding for the Social and Affordable Homes Programme 2026 to 2036, inviting registered providers, local authorities and developers to compete for a share of at least £27bn of grant funding.
The programme, first outlined in November, is the largest and longest affordable housing fund ever established in England. Bids are invited for both strategic partnerships, covering multi year pipelines of thousands of homes, and continuous market engagement for individual schemes.
Funding is weighted heavily towards social rent, with Homes England making clear that value for money will be judged on additionality and deliverability rather than simply the lowest grant rate per home. Providers with land, planning consents and construction capacity in place will be best positioned in the first rounds.
For the development industry, the opening of bidding is the moment the programme becomes bankable. Section 106 negotiations can now be conducted against real grant availability, and mixed tenure schemes that struggled to stack up through 2024 and 2025 have a clearer path to viability. We are already seeing the affordable element unlock stalled private schemes in London and the South East.
For landowners, a funded ten year buyer of affordable housing changes promotion strategy. Sites that can offer early delivery of affordable homes alongside market housing will command a premium in option negotiations.
The first funding awards are expected before the summer. Providers and developers that have prepared their pipelines now will set the benchmark for the decade.
NEWS·FEBRUARY 2026
Homes England has formally opened bidding for the Social and Affordable Homes Programme 2026 to 2036, inviting registered providers, local authorities and developers to compete for a share of at least £27bn of grant funding.
The programme, first outlined in November, is the largest and longest affordable housing fund ever established in England. Bids are invited for both strategic partnerships, covering multi year pipelines of thousands of homes, and continuous market engagement for individual schemes.
Funding is weighted heavily towards social rent, with Homes England making clear that value for money will be judged on additionality and deliverability rather than simply the lowest grant rate per home. Providers with land, planning consents and construction capacity in place will be best positioned in the first rounds.
For the development industry, the opening of bidding is the moment the programme becomes bankable. Section 106 negotiations can now be conducted against real grant availability, and mixed tenure schemes that struggled to stack up through 2024 and 2025 have a clearer path to viability. We are already seeing the affordable element unlock stalled private schemes in London and the South East.
For landowners, a funded ten year buyer of affordable housing changes promotion strategy. Sites that can offer early delivery of affordable homes alongside market housing will command a premium in option negotiations.
The first funding awards are expected before the summer. Providers and developers that have prepared their pipelines now will set the benchmark for the decade.