Responding to figures showing that build-to-rent starts across the UK fell 63% in the year to Q3 2026, dropping from 12,674 to 4,696, Jonathan Rolande (pictured) said the consequences would ultimately be felt by renters already struggling with affordability.
Completions have now outpaced new starts for eleven consecutive quarters, while the number of homes under construction has fallen by 30%.
He said: “Clearly the pipeline is draining. Renters will feel it in two years, when those now not-to-be-built homes would have been ready to let.
“This is not simply a problem for developers or investors. It is a problem for anyone looking for somewhere to live. We are storing up a supply crisis that will make an already difficult rental market even more challenging.”
The warning comes as the Government prepares to invest £4.7bn in a revised Help to Buy scheme, intended to unlock 20,000 homes and stimulate the housing market.
While welcoming the principle of supporting housebuilding, Mr Rolande questioned whether the initiative would do enough for people who remain reliant on rented accommodation.
“Given the state of the property market, the Help to Buy announcement should be broadly welcomed. But a subsidy for buyers does not help renters – at least not those who cannot afford to buy.
“It adds demand to the market, but rental supply stays where it is. We need to be looking at both sides of the housing equation.”
He also warned that landlords were facing increasing financial and regulatory pressures, with taxation changes and continuing discussions around rent controls potentially discouraging investment.
“We are seeing a form of stealth rent control already,” he said. “Small landlords sell up, and institutions build less, so fewer homes reach the rental market from both sides. Tenants are then chasing fewer properties, rents rise and calls for rent controls grow. But introducing rent controls would naturally risk cutting supply further.”
Mr Rolande said the Government needed to recognise that policies intended to make housing more affordable could have the opposite effect if they discouraged landlords and developers from providing homes.
“Ministers say they want more homes. We shall see. If Q4 starts fall again, it is tenants who will ultimately feel the result. We need policies that encourage investment, increase supply and give landlords and developers the confidence to build for the long term,” he said.
