Corporate plan theme 2: The place to call home

This theme is made up of two outcomes:

• everyone can access a safe, secure and suitable home
• no one is homeless or sleeping rough

What we want to achieve

A good, stable home is the foundation of a good life. 

Our vision for 2050 is for:

• everyone in Greenwich to live in a neighbourhood, not just a home
• everyone to have a safe, secure and affordable place to live

Affordable housing

The cost of housing means many residents cannot own their own, the cost of renting is growing and over 30,000 households are waiting for a council home.

We are committed to building affordable homes. We have completed or started construction on 1,275 homes since 2018. Greenwich has been the top builder of affordable homes in London for three consecutive years from 2022 to 2025. 

We are also working with housing associations and developers to increase the supply of affordable homes across the borough.

In 2025/26 we invested £290million, around three-quarters of it in housing:

• £117million building and acquiring new social homes
• £71million improving homes we already own
• £21million buying properties to increase our housing stock for families who would otherwise be in expensive temporary accommodation

Council homes

For residents already living in council homes, our priority is making sure those homes are safe, comfortable and well maintained. We have:

• started making changes to protect tenants from serious hazards and make sure social landlords are transparent and accountable
• started to investigate and fix damp and mould hazards
• invested £18million to improve energy efficiency, reduce bills for tenants and improve the condition of older homes
• increased communication with tenants and improved our processes, leading to the lowest number of outstanding repairs in at least five years

Supported housing

Supported housing provides independence and control for residents with different needs.

We'll use new powers under the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act to gain greater oversight of supported housing provision across the borough through establishment of a new licensing scheme. 

These changes and a new supported housing needs assessment, will help the residents who need our support most to access the housing they need.

Private rented housing

With fewer people being able to own their own homes and demand for social housing exceeding supply, private rental options have become more important. We will:

• continue to regulate this sector through licensing
• step up enforcement action against those that break the rules
• help landlords improve housing standards so the private rented sector works for everyone

Security for renters

Tenants will have more long term security due to stronger protections including:

• The Renters' Rights Act abolished 'no-fault' evictions in May 2026
• The Decent Homes Standard for private rented homes 
• a new private rented sector database

These will improve security for many renters. But rising housing costs and limited housing supply mean that some households will still be at risk of losing their home.

Preventing homelessness

Royal Greenwich has been a leading council in London, reducing homelessness pressures. We've reduced our use of hotels and B&Bs for temporary accommodation by over 96% and no longer use them for families, saving the council £10 million.

But rough sleeping is still a concern. 406 people were seen sleeping rough in the borough in 2025/26. 

We must prevent homelessness by identifying residents at risk earlier. We will work closely with private landlords, housing associations and voluntary sector partners to secure safe, settled homes for those who need them.