It’s estimated that £16.9 billion [1] is needed every year for the next ten years to adequately respond to the chronic shortage of social and affordable housing in the UK. And over the past decade, the amount of private capital investing to respond to this need has steadily increased, most notably through equity investment from social and affordable housing funds. But not all investment opportunities are created equal, and to truly provide safe and secure affordable housing, funds should have clearly defined impact goals and a commitment to impact management throughout the investment lifecycle.
This market mapping aims to support institutional investors and their advisers as they navigate the rapidly evolving social and affordable housing fund market. We want to share our learnings and experience from investing almost £200 million in 12 housing funds. We hope it will help others make informed investment decisions, that include a robust assessment of managers’ impact practices, as social and affordable housing becomes an increasing part of investor portfolios.
The market map features:
- Introduction to social and affordable housing investment in the UK
- Financial returns, risk and impact
- Categorising social and affordable housing funds
- Funds landscape in the UK
[1] Tackling the under supply of housing in England, February 2022
Download the full market map below. Version updated in 2022.
