News
Housing developments
We summarize why a development matters and send readers to the original publisher. Article bodies are not copied or closely paraphrased.
16 September 2026
UK average house price reaches £273,000 in July 2026Source: HM Land Registry
The official UK House Price Index put the average property value at £273,000 in July 2026, 1.4% higher than a year earlier and 0.7% higher than June. England's average was £293,000. These are transaction-based official statistics, not asking prices.
16 September 2026
CMHC: Canadian housing starts trend slips again in AugustSource: Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
CMHC said the six-month trend in housing starts fell 1.3% in August 2026 to 244,149 units. In centres of 10,000 people or more, year-to-date starts were 149,542, 4% lower than a year earlier. Completions in larger centres fell 11.2% from July.
13 September 2026
UK housing minister sees only a slim chance of 1.5 million homesSource: The Guardian
The Guardian reported that Angela Rayner said there was only a 'slim chance' the UK government would meet its manifesto target of 1.5 million homes this parliament, while saying the target had not been dropped. This is a journalistic account of a political statement, not an official statistical release.
17 August 2026
England sets a default yes for homes near well-connected stationsSource: Government of the United Kingdom
The UK government announced National Planning Policy Framework changes for England that create a default 'yes' for housing within reasonable walking distance of well-connected train, tram, and underground stations, with minimum density expectations in those areas.
27 July 2026
CMHC revises 2026 outlook: fewer sales, slightly lower pricesSource: Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
CMHC's baseline 2026 forecast, as reported from the agency's outlook, expects 457,200 home sales and an average price of $675,200, down from 2025, with housing starts of 241,400. This news item links to reporting of the forecast; the underlying CMHC outlook is the primary source to consult for model detail.
1 July 2026
OECD: affordability gap requires more affordable and social housing supplySource: OECD
A July 2026 OECD report argues that high-income housing affordability problems reflect a supply-demand imbalance driven by construction costs, labour shortages, borrowing costs, restrictive land use, and low public investment. It recommends expanding affordable and social rental housing, not only relying on market ownership.
1 June 2026
Australia restates 1.2 million-home National Housing Accord targetSource: Australian Treasury
The Australian Treasury's 2026 national housing plan repeats the Accord target of 1.2 million new well-located homes over five years to June 2029, backed by incentive payments for states and territories that exceed their shares.
15 January 2026
CMHC: Canada still needs 417,000 to 469,000 starts a yearSource: Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
CMHC said recent affordability gains are at risk as construction slows, especially in the homeownership segment. Its Housing Supply Report estimates that restoring pre-pandemic affordability by 2036 would require 417,000 to 469,000 starts annually.
2 June 2025
UN-Habitat: 2.8 billion people lack adequate housingSource: UN-Habitat
UN-Habitat's press release for its 2024 Annual Report states that 2.8 billion people lack access to adequate housing and that an estimated 96,000 new units would need to be built each day to meet needs by 2030. The same report places 1.1 billion people in informal settlements and slums.
1 January 2025
OECD: real house prices up more than 40% over a decadeSource: OECD
The OECD's affordable-housing overview states that real house prices increased by over 40% over the past decade on average across member countries, remaining well above pre-pandemic levels after a slight decline from the 2022 peak. It also reports that one in three low-income tenant households are overburdened by rent.