Imofolio
Sign inGet started for free

South East · report

New homes in South East

25.3% fewer homes were started in the last 12 months than in an average year of the past decade.

Started, 12 months
20,390
Per 1,000 residents
2.1

Homes started in South East

Homes started over the previous 12 months, at each quarter.

  • South East
  • Ten-year average
Show the numbers
PeriodSouth East
Jun 202620,390
Mar 202620,780
Dec 202520,510
Sep 202521,450
Jun 202522,670
Mar 202523,500
Dec 202422,510
Sep 202420,390
Jun 202417,680
Mar 202423,290
Dec 202325,880
Sep 202327,750
Jun 202331,630
Mar 202330,630
Dec 202232,530
Sep 202233,710
Jun 202234,180
Mar 202231,930
Dec 202132,250
Sep 202132,300
Jun 202130,960
Mar 202125,130
Dec 202022,740
Sep 202022,210
Jun 202023,060
Mar 202027,710
Dec 201928,590
Sep 201929,810
Jun 201931,020
Mar 201931,410
Dec 201832,220
Sep 201832,250
Jun 201829,900
Mar 201828,950
Dec 201728,550
Sep 201728,330
Jun 201728,670
Mar 201729,200
Dec 201628,370
Sep 201627,350
Jun 201625,620
Mar 201624,530
Dec 201525,760
Sep 201524,540
Jun 201525,350
Mar 201525,360
Dec 201423,480
Sep 201423,540
Jun 201423,190
Mar 201422,910
Dec 201322,530
Sep 201322,280
Jun 201321,140
Mar 201319,200
Dec 201218,190
Sep 201218,180
Jun 201218,460
Mar 201220,070
Dec 201120,250
Sep 201119,380
Jun 201119,710
Mar 201119,620
Dec 201020,160
Sep 201021,120
Jun 201021,040
Mar 201020,100
Dec 200918,240
Sep 200917,440
Jun 200916,500
Mar 200918,760
Dec 200821,740
Sep 200824,600
Jun 200829,220
Mar 200831,020
Dec 200733,550
Sep 200733,510
Jun 200731,180
Mar 200730,510
Dec 200630,340
Sep 200631,420
Jun 200631,960
Mar 200631,500
Dec 200528,940

A start is the first count of a new home in the UK: no nation counts homes granted planning permission. Most starts are finished one to two years later. England's and Wales's counts come from building control, which misses some homes; Scotland counts housing association approvals as starts; Northern Ireland's begin in 2015.

Other reports for South East

Next 12 months

Sale prices have an 80% chance of landing between £366,902 and £400,030 by August 2027.

Expected, August 2027
£383,466
Chance of a rise
61%

Affordability

At the average sale price, a home costs £379,953. With 10% down and a 30-year mortgage, the payment is £1,753 a month. The UK sets no cap on the payment; no more than 15% of new mortgages may lend over 4.5 times income.

Payment, two incomes
25%
Payment, one income
51%

Buy or rent

Renting the average home costs less each month than owning it. Owning counts interest, running costs and the return the deposit could earn, at the average sale price; rent is the average of all private tenancies. Repaying the loan is saving, so it is left out.

Rent per month
£1,438
Owning per month
£1,789

Foreign buyers

Figures for United Kingdom: South East has no reliable figures of its own.

Buyers living abroad bought 1.8% of the homes sold here in the four quarters to Q1 2025.

Bought by buyers abroad, 12 months
1.8%

Past cycles

Sale prices have fallen by 3% or more 5 times since 1992. The deepest began in October 2007.

Deepest fall
−20.0%
Recovery from the low
57 months

People and new homes

In 2025 the population grew by 53,259 while 24,810 homes were finished: 2.1 new residents for every new home.

New residents per new home, 2025
2.1
Population change, 2025
+53,259

Empty homes

4.9% of the 4,026,333 homes counted in the 2021 census had nobody usually living in them.

Empty, 2021 census
4.9%
Empty homes
196,005

Renovation

In 2025, 12% of the homes added came from existing buildings rather than new ones.

Homes from existing buildings, 2025
12%