English new-build starts reached 35,910 in Q2 2026, up 6% quarter-on-quarter and 20% year-on-year, offering a positive supply signal. Yet rental competition remains acute in parts of the North West: Rightmove reported that Wallasey and Birkenhead each averaged 30 tenant enquiries per available rental home during July and August.
For advisers, local data should increasingly shape conversations around first-time buyer affordability, landlord demand and timing decisions. AI can help segment a client bank by geography, tenure, likely mortgage maturity and affordability changes, but local market insight remains essential. Buy-to-let conditions appear to be stabilising, with arrears falling and rental growth outpacing borrowing costs, although landlords and borrowers still face regulatory, tax and refinancing risks.