JLL's Housing Manifesto For The New Government

The Housing Dilemma

Successive governments of all colours have been unable to get close to the new homes target first mooted in the 2004 Barker Review, which has subsequently been revised up to 300,000 due to slow progress and population growth. Over the last 20-years completions across England have averaged 146,000 per annum, meaning a cumulative shortfall of more than 2.5 million homes since 2004. In 2024 the UK has one of the most undersupplied housing markets in the World. 

Housing starts this year are forecast to be around half the number required to meet current year housing need, let alone starting to claw back the number of homes we haven’t delivered in the past. 

JLL forecast that over the next five years starts will fall a further 520,000 homes short of target. The further exacerbation of the supply/demand imbalance will inevitably place more unwanted core upward pressure on house prices and rents. 

The Manifesto

Ahead of the impending General Election, and following the publication of party manifestos, real estate advisory firm, JLL, has laid out six tenets of successful housing policy in its own Housing Manifesto. The Housing Manifesto details six priorities for an incoming government to try to right the ship after over 20 years of detrimental housing policy. The priorities are: be realistic; build diverse; support investment; support development; be green; and be innovative.

The Housing Manifesto also espouses the opportunity that new technologies can bring to the industry, improving delivery and reckoning with the skills challenge.

1. Be Realistic – Long-term solutions continue to be hindered by short term fixes; we need to maximise the number of homes that can be practically built in the short-term, alongside improving capacity and reducing bottlenecks in the long-term, rather than just setting targets which our housing system is not set up to deliver.
2. Build Diverse – Owner-occupiers, affordable tenants, private renters, and shared owners, all need new housing. We need to focus on building high quality, new homes for occupiers in all tenures.
3. Support Investment – Constant tinkering with legislation is counterproductive. We need to recognise the importance of a level playing field and a consistent legislative framework which will then encourage partnership in delivery.
4. Support Development – Resource and recruit across the sector to unlock delivery and eliminate bottlenecks. Targeting specific improvements in our new housing delivery system from planning through to practical completion is vital.
5. Be Green – Champion innovation and look for better, modern, and technologically driven ways to address long term problems across the housing ecosystem.
6. Be Innovative – Improve the quality and safety of UK housing stocks, learning from failures to develop the correct processes and technologies required to meet the demand. We must leverage knowledge and expertise to accelerate our own progress.

“Ahead of a new parliamentary term, we need to ensure that the opportunity to implement real change isn’t missed. Despite recent challenges there are reasons to be optimistic about the future of development. But to increase delivery we need to invest and innovate. We’ll never get close if we just utilise current systems, structures, and workforce to deliver.” Marcus Dixon, Head of UK Living and Residential Research, JLL.

“Without question, we certainly need to build as many houses as we possibly can. However, if the next government were to prioritise achieving a balance of consistent and long-term sustainable housing policy with a legislative framework which will stand the test of time, then we can certainly see a real opportunity for the property sector to work collaboratively to put more shovels in the ground and build more much needed houses than we are able to deliver today […]. Leaving the new build housing system in a better state than they find if by the end of the next parliamentary term is as important as increasing the supply of homes in the short term. The housing crisis is a long-term problem which needs a long-term solution.” Paul Winstanley, Head of Residential Strategic Advisory and Policy at JLL.

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