This is the key finding from research by the British Property Federation (BPF) and Savills, which show waiting times in the capital have doubled over the past six years.

The number of BTR homes in planning has increased by 2% on the year nationwide, and is up 6% in the capital from 36,559 in Q1 2025 to 41,968 in Q1 2026.

Despite this overall increase in homes in planning, the number of schemes at the detailed application stage has fallen by 17% since the last quarter.

At the same time, the number of homes under construction continues to fall for the ninth consecutive quarter, down 17% on the year from 59,874 to 49,984 nationwide.

In London the figure is even starker, down 29% from 17,138 to 12,134, as the enduring impact of delays at the Building Safety Regulator is felt across the construction industry.

Based on this research, the BPF has argued that incoming planning reform can be of assistance but that this requires more support for a meaningful implementation.

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For instance, the BPF estimates 3,000 additional planners are required to boost capacity.

“The rental market continues to come under intense pressure, with supply constrained and development challenging — exacerbated by entirely avoidable impacts of the incoming Renters’ Rights Act and renewed discussion of rent controls,” said Danny Pinder, director at the BPF.

“Planning reforms to date have been helpful, but they are not sufficient to turn the tide on development.

“We need to see the government go further to reform tax barriers to new homes and that the increasing costs of construction are offset by a reduction in Section 106 and CIL requirements.”

Jacqui Daly, director at Savills Residential Research, added: “If BTR is to realise its full potential as a scalable and reliable source of new homes, it needs a more supportive operating environment, one that improves planning efficiency, provides regulatory certainty and enables schemes to progress quicker from consent to construction.”