End of the proud homeowner: Just 1 in 10 new build homes put on open market last year as landlords and affordable housing schemes snap up the rest

Published: 15:39, 21 April 2026 | Updated: 15:53, 21 April 2026 NINETY per cent of new build homes are sold off to property developers and landlords before they can be put on the open market for would be homeowners, new data reveals. Despite the housing shortage, the latest statistics reveal that of the 200,000 homes built between 2024-2025 just 21,261 made it for general sale to the public through estate agents. The overwhelming majority were sold off to build-to-rent developers, affordable housing schemes or shared ownership programs before young families could even enter a bid. Just a tiny minority of the new build homes in England were available to prospective first-time buyers through traditional estate agents which list houses up for sale in their area. The statistics were revealed following an investigation by Alto a data company which helps estate agents monitor property trends by collecting sales records. According to Riccardo Iannucci-Dawson, the CEO of Alto, this creates a false impression of the housing market which is already extremely competitive for first time buyers. He said: ‘People see homes being built and assume they’ll be available to buy, but the reality is many never reach the market buyers actually interact with day to day. ‘This isn’t just about how many homes are built, but how many are accessible - and in some areas, that’s a small fraction of total supply.’ Research reveals that only ten per cent of new build homes go on general sale to the public London is the worst hit city with just two per cent of new builds making it on to the open market. The picture does not get much better in cities such as Liverpool and Manchester were only seven and half per cent of new builds are listed for sale to the public. And in Newcastle, Sunderland, and Durham the same is also true with just eight and half per cent of new build homes available to first time buyers. The findings come as a separate survey of 2,000 adults showed that just under half do not think that enough homes are being built. The study found that 46 per cent of people believe new builds in their area are aimed at investors and landlords, rather than local buyers. Over a third believe they will never own their own property, blaming the market for being too expensive and insufficient wages. This is placing immense strain on the traditional image of ‘an Englishman's home being his castle’ and is pushing younger generations towards the more European approach of long-term renting, Mr Iannucci-Dawson added. The survey found 46 per cent of us want there to be more support for first-time buyers, and more than two thirds said property investors are crowding out the housing market. Mr Iannucci-Dawson added: ‘The UK is starting to mirror parts of Europe, like France and Germany, where long-term renting is more common and large-scale rental developments form a bigger part of the housing mix. ‘Over time, that may lead to Britain becoming more of a nation of renters. ‘It is clear the appetite to own a home is still there, but the opportunity doesn’t mirror their eagerness.’ No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.