SME property developers, also termed as small to medium-sized housebuilders, are on the verge of extinction across England due to various challenges, including red tape barriers around finance and planning, complicated public procurement processes, and growing competition from big housebuilders.
The latest data from real estate debt advisory specialists Sirius Property Finance shows 12,215 SMEs were operating across England in 1988, which has currently come down to 2,500. It is an 80% decline at a rate of 335 SME developers a year. To reverse this dwindling number, the government’s housing accelerator, Homes England, announced a £250m fund aimed at supporting SME builders in February.
