This update includes the following:
Evaluation of the Help to Buy Scheme
MHCLG has commissioned Verian, Sheffield Hallam University and Alma Economics to undertake an evaluation of the Help to Buy scheme which operated in England between April 2013 and March 2023.
The evaluation report highlights the importance of the scheme in boosting the delivery of newbuild homes, estimating that around 15% of all newbuild homes delivered between 2013 and 2023 are attributable to the Help to Buy. Developers also benefitted significantly as the scheme had a positive impact on developer revenues, profits and profit margins.
Help to Buy also appears to have increased house prices slightly, particularly in areas that were already relatively unaffordable where additional purchasing power from the scheme may have been capitalised into house prices rather than improving affordability.
Although the scheme delivered an increase in home ownership and purchases by first time buyers, 54% of purchasers report that they could have bought a home anyway without the support offered by the scheme, suggesting many buyers would have purchased without it.
The report’s main conclusion is that Help to Buy was most effective when it addressed a specific market failure, namely the post-financial-crisis shortage of mortgage finance and weak developer confidence. Its impacts varied significantly by place and over time, suggesting that any future home ownership support scheme should be more targeted geographically and focussed on specific groups of buyers, rather than operating uniformly across England.
Capacity to Build Programme for Councils
MHCLG has updated its guidance on the Council Housebuilding Skills and Capacity Programme which is renamed Capacity to Build. A further £46m will be available over the next three years (2026-29) to further expand the skills and capacity offer to councils embarking on newbuild development.
Capacity to Build is delivered in partnership with Homes England and the Local Government Association (LGA), helping councils to:
- improve their workforce‘s capability to deliver social and affordable housing
- recruit and retain staff to specialist housebuilding positions
- develop and accelerate bids for grant funding through the Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP)
The support offer is in three parts:
- The Council Housebuilding Support Service (CHoSS) is delivered by the LGA. It offers bespoke no-cost support to help councils establish, strengthen, or accelerate their council housebuilding programmes. Support may include technical and specialist advice, training, workshops, tools, published guidance, and peer learning.
- An expansion of the Pathways to Planning programme to other specialist housebuilding positions including surveying and construction project management roles. Graduates are supported through structured training and accreditation routes, helping councils to build a sustainable pipeline of skilled staff for housing delivery.
- The Council Housebuilding Support Fund (CHSF) is delivered in partnership with Homes England and provides councils with targeted revenue funding to support pre-development work including feasibility and viability studies, site investigations and pipeline development. Applications for the 2026/27 bidding round are now open. Closing date 2 November 2026.
The National Audit Office (NAO) inquiry into temporary accommodation
The NAO launched an inquiry into the resilience and oversight of England’s temporary accommodation system on 11 September 2026. The inquiry will examine whether government is overseeing a temporary accommodation system that is resilient and delivers value for money, with a report expected in Spring 2027.
The review will assess:
- How effectively the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) provides stewardship of temporary accommodation
- How effectively central and local government work together to address immediate pressures and longer-term solutions.
- Whether the temporary accommodation system delivers suitable accommodation and positive outcomes for households.
The inquiry was launched against a backdrop of record demand, with around 135,600 households living in temporary accommodation in England at the end of March 2026.
Housing Ombudsman’s Annual Complaints Review for 2024-25
The Housing Ombudsman’s Annual Complaints Review provides an overview of complaints management in the sector. It highlights a significant increase in determinations in the review period, with 7,082 decisions made between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025. This represents a 30% rise from the previous year. The review identifies complaints related to repairs and property condition as the highest volume category, and focusses on the need for landlords to act quickly on these issues. The review also indicates that while there has been a drop in the overall maladministration rate, the rate for complaint handling remains high, with 71% of complaints in this category being upheld. The findings suggest that landlords with higher consumer grading tend to have lower uphold rates and compensation orders, indicating a link between good complaint handling and overall performance.
The review also includes an archive of individual landlord performance reports that can be downloaded.
CWAG Response -RSH Call for evidence – More and Better Social Home
CWAG has submitted a response to the call for evidence focused on how regulation can support the delivery of more and better homes while improving outcomes for tenants.
CWAG supports proposals for a more targeted risk-based regulatory approach that uses a range of data and regulatory intelligence such as Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs), complaints, compliance data and tenant feedback to identify higher-risk landlords. Regulation should be intelligence-led, proportionate and focused on improving tenant outcomes.
However, any increased reliance on the use of data should be balanced with ongoing engagement and dialogue between landlords and the Regulator to maintain collaborative relationships and enable early intervention. The Regulator should maintain its collaborative approach while providing greater clarity on expectations and taking firm action where improvement is not achieved.
Greater attention should also be given to how effectively landlords manage and utilise their existing stock. This includes reducing long-term voids, tackling housing fraud, supporting rightsizing, making best use of adapted homes and improving mobility within the housing stock
Financial realities and local circumstances must also be recognised if landlords are to successfully deliver both high-quality services and new homes.
Other Publications
The impact of the new rent settlement – Savills Briefing Note
This research briefing assesses the impact of the Government’s new social housing rent settlement, which allows registered providers to increase rents by CPI + 1% annually for 10 years, alongside the reintroduction of rent convergence measures.
The research highlights that social housing rents have fallen significantly in real terms with rents currently around 17% lower than they would have been if CPI+1% increases had applied throughout the recent period of below inflation rent caps.
The new CPI+1% rent settlement and rent convergence policy are a ‘necessary step’ towards restoring landlords’ ability to invest in existing homes and support new development. However, Savills cautions that increased rental income alone will not solve financial pressures to maintain and upgrade the existing stock and develop new homes.
Social rents are expected to remain substantially below private sector rents, particularly in London and the South East, meaning affordability protections are largely maintained while providers gain some financial stability. However, general needs social rents are likely to remain below 2015/16 levels before the rent cut in real terms.
Tackling damp and mould: Professional practice, cultural change and regulation in social housing
Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) and the Chartered Institute of Building have published a joint report which provides both practical guidance and a theoretical framework on how best to approach the dual problems of damp and mould. The guide includes advice on common scenarios as well as case studies.
Funding the future – The financial and economic case for removing Housing Revenue Account Debt
The report argues that that HRA debt is a major structural barrier to council housebuilding and cancelling HRA debt could unlock a programme of up to 284,000 new council homes, deliver £411 billion of economic activity, improve outcomes for households and ultimately generate benefits that outweigh the costs.
Diary Dates
Annual General Meeting – Thursday 1st October 2026 (10.00 – 12.00)
A reminder that the CWAG Annual General Meeting is taking place on Thursday 1st October 2026 via Teams.
All CWAG members are encouraged to send a representative as the AGM will be considering proposals with implications for the future structure, management and direction of the group.
Our speaker this year will be Guy Marshall, Director of Fuza Ltd who will be discussing the challenges, risks and opportunities of AI for the social housing sector. This session will provide an introduction to this topic ahead of the Strategic AI Awareness webinar highlighted below.
Please contact the Policy Office for further details and the meeting link if you have not already received this.
Council /ALMO webinar – Strategic AI Awareness – Monday 19th October 2026 (10.00 – 12.00)
This joint webinar with the National Federation of ALMOs will bring together representatives from both councils and ALMO to consider the implications of AI and governance for this sector. The session will focus on:
- Understanding AI and the path to effective implementation.
- Focusing on strategic-level governance rather than technical complexities, empowering leaders to ask the right questions.
- Aligning strategic thinking between ALMOs and parent councils to foster a unified approach to AI adoption.
With developments moving rapidly in the AI sphere it is vital for organisations to engage with the challenges involved in the rollout of this technology.
This session will also be run by Guy Marshall of Fuza Ltd.
For further information please contact the Policy Officer.