The Royal Bank of Scotland has announced an updated package of £10billion of funding to the UK social housing sector before the end of 2028, which when deployed will bring the total funding to social housing in the UK to over £35 billion* since 2018.
Through this new ambition, the bank is aiming to support the delivery and maintenance of social housing in the UK, which is vital to the people and families who rely on affordable housing, as well as the wider economy. The Royal Bank of Scotland has worked with not-for-profit housing associations across Scotland to support their growth and development plans building homes and communities for many years.
The bank also confirmed it has now provided more than £25 billion* of funding into the social housing sector since 2018, helping to create and sustain affordable homes nationwide.
The Royal Bank of Scotland aims to support the delivery and upkeep of social housing across the UK, helping housing associations build new homes, upgrade existing properties, and improve living conditions. Some of this lending can help fund energy efficiency and environmental improvements, including retrofit projects. Other funding can help the housing associations sector to deliver a pipeline of new homes and improve living conditions in existing properties.
Paul Thwaite, CEO NatWest Group comments: “We are incredibly proud to announce the early achievement of our £7.5 billion UK social housing lending ambition. Delivering this milestone a full year ahead of schedule demonstrates our commitment to making a real difference in people’s lives by investing in the homes and communities that need it most, and shows the demand in the market.
“Reaching this lending ambition early has enabled us to set a new target of £10 billion to year-end 2028, so we can continue to provide social housing lending and play our part in supporting the development and availability of affordable and social rent homes across the UK.”
The announcement forms part of the bank’s new five point Growing Together plan, setting out how the bank will help build the conditions for UK wide growth: backing powerful regions, championing mid-market companies, strengthening the country’s infrastructure and housing foundations, boosting financial confidence amongst families and young people, and supporting the innovators shaping the future economy. Drawing on its regional footprint, expertise and convening power, the bank aims to bring businesses, communities, and policymakers together to tackle structural barriers, unlock productivity and spread opportunity across the UK.
In addition to these commitments, last year the Royal Bank of Scotland announced several other initiatives and partnerships that have complemented and contributed to our social housing lending ambition being achieved. These include a financial guarantee of up to £400 million from the National Wealth Fund to cover a series of new loans from Royal Bank of Scotland to registered providers of social housing stock in the UK.
The bank also launched a new social rent loan product to support housing associations, which are already Royal Bank of Scotland customers, to support the construction of social rent houses across the UK. In December 2025, this fund was doubled to £1 billion in response to strong demand and to help continue the delivery of homes for social rent across the country.
These initiatives complement Royal Bank of Scotland’s ongoing dedication to supporting communities and helping to address the housing crisis.
In December, the Royal Bank of Scotland announced £20 million in additional lending to Kingdom Housing Association (KHA) headquartered in Fife. KHA are one of Scotland’s largest registered social landlords and manage over 7,000 homes, providing a wide range of housing, care and support services. The funding will help deliver 170 new energy efficient homes in Fife and Perth and Kinross and builds on existing lending to KHA from the bank which now totals £61 million.