Home-makers

Where we live means so much more than just a roof over our head. A stable base, cosy and well-connected, can make other aspects of life just that little bit easier.

Across the UK, demand for new homes remains high. The government has set a target of 1.5 million more in England alone^[1].

Meeting that demand requires significant, long-term investment. Done well, that investment can deliver two things at once: first, it can generate steady, long-term returns, and second help create places people want to live, supporting local economies over time. 

As an insurance, wealth and retirement business we help our customers by providing long-term savings and investment products, with customers and offices spread across the UK. Aviva has a direct stake in helping make growth work for people and communities because that’s how long-term investments can create value. 

Homes for life

At its simplest, well-built housing works for the people who live there. 

Energy efficient homes can feel warm and lower bills. Being close to transport links, schools and jobs can make life more convenient. Properties built with future climate risks in mind, i.e. those including flood protection measures, are often better protected. All these features can point to long-term value. 

“Building homes isn’t just about bricks and mortar,” explains Alice Perry, Director of Political Advocacy at Aviva. “It’s about building communities, places people really want to live in, now and for the future. This includes building homes that aren’t in high-risk flood zones. People want homes that are climate resilient and built to last and be enjoyed for generations to come.”

Aviva Investors has invested in a number of developments that reflect these priorities and stipulates that homes being funded target an EPC ‘A’ rating (beyond the minimum rating requirement of B)^[3]. The homes incorporate several technologies to meet energy needs, including all-electric appliances and a combination of air source heat pumps, induction hobs, photovoltaic panels, battery storage and EV charging. All of which can lower costs for families living in them depending on energy use and tariff structures.

Take, for example, a partnership with Octopus Energy^[4], which sees some new homes qualifying for its ‘Zero Bills’ tariff.

In Buckinghamshire, Aviva Investors has backed a development across two sites where homes with heat-pumps, solar panels, battery storage and electric vehicle charging are eligible for Octopus Energy’s world-first Zero Bills tariff. 48 of 212 newly built rental homes met the criteria for ‘Zero Bills’ homes in 2024^[6].

Elliott, who lives in a Zero Bills home in Milton Keynes, explains what it means for him day to day: “Living in an energy-efficient home takes away the stress of potential fluctuations in the bills for the household, and takes away the worry of wasting energy.”^[7]

Strengthening places

When housing works well, its benefits can also extend far beyond individual households. Developments can revitalise town centres by supporting local businesses and creating demand for skills and apprenticeships right across the supply chain.

Aviva Capital Partners invests across urban regeneration, housing supply and sustainable infrastructure, recognising that these elements work best together. As Alice Perry explains: “As a business with 21.7 million customers in the UK our role in people’s lives is broad and our investments reflect that.”

At Anglia Square in Norwich, ACP and Norwich City Council agreed a £350 million partnership deal in 2025. The regeneration project aims to transform a long underused site into a mixed use neighbourhood with new homes, retail and public spaces, bringing housing and town centre renewal together. 

Just 15 minutes’ walk from the town centre, the plan includes up to 1,100 new homes and has the potential to create 3,500 jobs in one of the 10% most deprived areas in England. The hope is it will boost both local pride and long-term economic activity.

In Birmingham’s Digbeth, Aviva Capital Partners has invested in housing as part of wider regeneration programme connected to transport and employment growth. 

The project, announced in July 2025, will create 1,000 high quality, energy efficient homes. Twenty per cent of them will be offered at discounted market rents and dispersed throughout the development, supporting a balanced, mixed community.

Backing regional growth

Directing long-term capital into regions with strong economic potential can help spread growth more widely across the UK too. 

In April 2026, Aviva and Homes England announced a new partnership to build high- quality homes for rent in underinvested areas. Our initial £100m commitment will support the first sites in Liverpool and Manchester, expected to create around 300 homes on brownfield land with good transport links. 

The idea is to deliver stable tenancies for families and visibly cared-for neighbourhoods.  Supported by the new National Housing Bank and working with Place Capital Group, there’s scope to grow to around 3,300 homes nationally over time.

This regional focus is seen again in cities such as Manchester, where Aviva Investors has supported mixed-use developments that combine homes, culture and workplaces. At St John’s and the wider area around the former Granada Studios site, housing forms part of a neighbourhood designed to attract talent, support local businesses and create long term value for the city.

Supporting the wider economy

Housing investment means long-term capital supporting the real economy today. Building homes calls for skilled labour, for example. Materials are needed from local suppliers. Many big projects will create jobs over many years. And by helping people live closer to work and opportunity, it can support longer-term productivity across regions^[8] too.

“The government has ambitious house building targets, because lack of housing can hold back economic growth. We know we need new homes and the connections that go with them and this investment drives growth and regeneration across the whole country,” says Alice Perry.

It also comes closer to home in another way people don’t often think about.  Many would be surprised to learn^[9] some of their pensions and savings might be linked to the places they live^[10], including in some investments that help develop homes, for example, or those new EV charging points^[11] that just went in round the corner^[12].   Aviva has pledged, via the Mansion House Accord, to invest at least 10% of defined contribution default funds in private markets by 2030, with 5% of the total allocated to the UK^[13].

“People don’t always realise that some of their savings can be working in the real economy, potentially including in the communities where they live,” Alice Perry notes.

That connection can give customers an actual stake in the future of their neighbourhood, helping create a future they’d want to retire into^[10]. Or Alice puts it another way:

“We're one of the UK’s most significant long-term investors, helping the UK get ready for the future, and we’re proud of that. A strong UK economy is in everyone’s interest – our customers, our business and the country as a whole.”

References:

^1. _{Housing targets increased to get Britain building again - GOV.UK [↑]}

^2. _{Aviva and the National Housing Bank to invest £100m to build thousands of high-quality family homes in UK towns and cities - Aviva plc [↑]}

^3. _{What Are the Minimum EPC Requirements for New Builds vs. Existing Homes? - EPC Rate [↑]}

^4. _{Aviva Investors Packaged Living Octopus Energy - Aviva Investors [↑]}

^5. _{Please note that EV charging is not included. EV charging is billed separately at the Intelligent Octopus Go rate. Limits, Exclusions & T&Cs apply, find out more. [↑]}

^6. _{Packaged Living & Aviva Investors bring Octopus Energy’s ‘Zero Bills’ tariff to UK rental portfolio – Packaged Living [↑]}

^7. _{Example resident experience – outcomes vary. [↑]}

^8. _{Housing affordability and productivity (accessible version) - GOV.UK: based on economic research from Meen and Nygaard (2010): Investment in housing such that skilled workers are closer to jobs that match their specialisations and are closer to other workers with whom they can exchange knowledge, could lead to increased local productivity. [↑]}

^9. _{Do you know where your pension is invested? - Which? [↑]}

^10. _{Investments are pooled and professionally managed; individual pensions are not directly allocated to specific projects. [↑]}

^11. _{Connected Kerb secures £65m backing from The National Wealth Fund and Aviva Investors to accelerate the UK's EV public charging network expansion. [↑]}

^12. _{Pension schemes back British growth - GOV.UK [↑]}

^13. _{Aviva announces “a new chapter” in private markets investing for default funds -Aviva plc [↑]}

_{Housing comprises residential real estate including flats/apartments and houses (e.g. single-family homes) held for income generation and/or capital appreciation spanning both affordable and open-market housing.}