Labour government to end sell-off of new social homes

• New bill introduced in Parliament today will end sell-off of new social homes
• Mass social housebuilding programme will stop children growing up in B&Bs
• New laws will make it easier to evict domestic abusers from social homes and keep victims in their homes

The Prime Minister will overhaul ‘right to buy' rules to protect new social homes and support the government's record investment in social housebuilding.

The new Bill, introduced in Parliament today, will exempt social homes from ‘right to buy' for 35 years. Only tenants with long-term routes in communities living and paying rent in their house for 10 years will be eligible.

Today, 175,000 children are living without a stable home, and more than a million families are stuck waiting for one. For years the system has failed, with social housing sold off faster than it was replaced.

The measures will support a record £39 billion of investment in social and affordable housebuilding. The new laws will give providers and councils the confidence to build knowing new homes won't be quickly sold off.

The Bill will give councils the confidence and freedom to build again. It will:

• Protect existing social homes so they are not lost faster than they are replaced
• Let councils build again, by cutting red tape and protecting new homes from being sold straight away
• Make social homes safer, with stronger powers to evict domestic abuse perpetrators

This is part of decisive government action to bring forward a new era for housing in this country – from planning reform and the flagship New Towns programme to stronger renters' rights and leasehold reform.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:

“The Tories' social housing sell-off was reckless. Where they failed communities and failed families, my Labour government is stepping up.  

“Children should not be growing up in temporary accommodation. That is the consequence of long‑term social housing failure and I will never stand by and allow that to happen.

“My Labour government is taking responsibility, rebuilding social housing, and delivering the change people voted for.”

More than two million social homes have been sold since 1980. Between 2012 and 2025, almost three homes were sold for every one replaced.

The Bill, building on the Social Housing Action Plan, resets Right to Buy so home ownership no longer strips communities of social housing, while keeping a fair route open for tenants who want to buy.

Housing Secretary Steve Reed said:

“Families have paid the price for a housing system that sold off social homes and failed to replace them for decades.

“We need more social homes – and this Bill tackles the decades of sell-off that has left over a million families on waiting lists with nowhere to turn. 

“This Bill makes a clear choice to rebuild social housing, back councils to build again, and give families the safe, stable homes they need.”

Right to Buy eligibility will rise from three to ten years, with new social homes protected for 35 years, and councils will gain stronger powers to buy homes back and keep them in use for local families.

Outdated rules that created unnecessary bureaucracy that slowed down councils building are scrapped, freeing providers to plan, invest and build the homes their communities need at scale.

Alongside rebuilding supply, the Bill also makes social homes safer, with tougher powers to evict domestic abuse perpetrators, so victims and children are not forced out first.

Alongside bold action to fix housing, the government is driving down homelessness through its cross‑government strategy. Backed by nearly £1 billion a year, councils are better equipped to prevent homelessness early, cut reliance on temporary accommodation, and support families before crisis hits.

Notes to Editors:

• The Social Housing Renewal Bill cuts red tape by scrapping unimplemented and ineffective rules that created uncertainty for councils and slowed down housebuilding, including:
• • Ending the requirement to sell “high‑value” council homes, a policy that discouraged councils from building by forcing future sales instead of replacement. This requirement was legislated for but never taken forward. 
  • Removing plans to require fixed‑term (time‑limited) council tenancies, which would have created instability for tenants and made long‑term investment harder for housing providers.
  • Scrapping provisions to charge higher rents to higher‑income tenants (such as “pay‑to‑stay”), which added complexity without boosting supply and reduced certainty for landlords and tenants.
  • Streamlining housing consents and processes, reducing unnecessary paperwork and delays that previously slowed down decisions to build new social homes.
• By clearing these rules from the statute book, the Bill simplifies the system and gives councils certainty to plan, invest and build, knowing new homes will not be routinely lost and that long‑term investment will benefit local communities.