England built up a shortfall of at least 600,000 homes from 2011-2021 after population growth outpaced the number of newly built homes, according to analysis from Coventry Building Society.
Census information reveals there were over 3.1 million more adults living in England in 2021 compared to 2011. It is estimated that over two million new homes were needed for these people, yet only 1.4 million new homes were built during this time.
The region with the biggest shortfall of new homes is London. The only region with growth in available homes is the North East. The regional breakdown is as follows:
| Area |
Estimated |
Number of new homes built |
Difference |
| England |
2,047,263 |
1,401,180 |
-646,083 |
| London |
355,222 |
207,870 |
-147,352 |
| South East |
378,962 |
253,130 |
-125,832 |
| East of England |
277,024 |
172,370 |
-104,654 |
| South West |
253,196 |
177,190 |
-76,006 |
| East Midlands |
203,416 |
132,300 |
-71,116 |
| West Midlands |
199,504 |
129,040 |
-70,464 |
| North West |
210,709 |
147,790 |
-62,919 |
| Yorkshire & The Humber |
129,064 |
114,340 |
-14,724 |
| North East |
40,165 |
67,150 |
+26,985 |
*Based on 1.52971 adults in a home.
The estimates given are a minimum, as they only take into account the number of people looking to buy a home for the first time. They do not factor in growth in single person households as a result of separations or bereavement.
Jonathan Stinton, head of intermediary relationships at Coventry Building Society, said: “Year after year there’s been a consistent shortfall in capacity to build the homes people need, it’s unsurprising there’s a huge deficit. The problem needs to be addressed now to make sure there are enough homes for everyone who wants to buy or rent a place of their own.
“All eyes will be on the Chancellor this week to see what he has to say about building new homes, but the most important thing will be what action is taken over the coming years. There’s an urgent need to create homes in the right locations, of the right type to meet demand, as well as updating the UK housing stock to meet the challenge of net zero and climate change.”