UK proposes eight-week warning before social homes leave public housing stock

The UK government plans to require councils and social housing providers to give eight weeks’ notice before selling social homes outside the social housing sector, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said. The proposed notification requirement forms part of amendments to the Social Housing Bill announced on Monday, September 28, 2026. The government said the notice would give councils and other providers a better opportunity to purchase homes before they are sold elsewhere.

The measure is intended to help retain the supply of social housing as ministers seek to strengthen homelessness prevention and ensure homes are allocated to people who need them most. Under the amendments, councils would also receive new powers to refer homeless households to private registered providers of social housing. The government said this would support closer cooperation between councils and housing associations.

It said the proposals could reduce reliance on temporary accommodation and improve access to housing for people in greatest need. A new Duty to Collaborate would require public services to work more closely to identify people at risk of homelessness and consider steps they could take within their existing responsibilities. The government said the measures would help councils respond to homelessness pressures, strengthen cooperation across the housing sector and maintain the long-term supply of social homes.

It also pointed to a previous commitment of £39bn over 10 years through the Social and Affordable Homes Programme. Councils and housing associations, it said, would remain central to increasing housing supply and providing homes for local communities.