With its construction boom of new office blocks and new build homes, Manchester has picked up the nickname ‘Manc-hatten’. With so much on offer, where should you start looking for new build homes to rent or buy in Greater Manchester? Start with the top recommendations of the people already living there.
Top 10 new build homes: Manchester’s best new developments
The following are the top-rated new build homes Greater Manchester has to offer. This list is based purely on the ratings given by verified HomeViews reviewers, and nothing else.
If you want to see more details on any of the developments below, just click on them. You’ll be taken to the development’s dedicated page, where you can see all the reviews in detail.
*PLEASE NOTE these rankings take into account how many reviews a scheme has and how recently those reviews have been submitted, so may not match the overall star ratings shown. Buildings with a larger number of more recent reviews are given a greater weighting to reflect current building performance.
Taking the coveted top spot in Greater Manchester, welcome to Erie Dock Apartments, or Eda for short – a rental-only development in Salford. All Eda’s furnished apartments include king size beds with ottoman storage, corner sofas and TV units. Each apartment has a modern fully fitted kitchen with utility storage, spacious bedrooms with bespoke designed fitted wardrobes and bathrooms all finished to the high standard of Eda. The development is also pet-friendly. Eda sits at the top of Erie Dock in the heart of Salford Quays, with shops, restaurants, cafes and bars within easy walking distance (and a tram stop right outside the door). You can get to Manchester city centre in just 15 minutes.
Vox is our number two Greater Manchester development. This twin set of new build towers is located on Trentham Street and offers great city views from its stylish, bright and spacious apartments. With its highly rated concierge, lovely communal gardens, extensive parking and storage options, and a great rooftop terrace to boot, it’s easy to see why residents love it. Located just off the A56, Vox is also well connected to the rest of Manchester, offering a short bus ride into the city centre.
Third-placed Chapel Wharf is a rental development from Dandara Living. Comprising a range of studios to three-bed apartments, residents benefit from a pet friendly policy, an on-site gym as well as car/bike parking. In addition, there is a courtyard garden, a free 3,789sqft gym equipped with the latest range of cardio and functional training equipment and a 3,641sqft resident facility with homeworking facilities, two ‘house kitchens’, Club and Screening rooms, two lounges plus bookable entertaining and dining spaces. As well as this, the development is just moments away from Manchester’s famous shopping, entertainment and cultural scenes.
Sitting in fourth place, The Trilogy is a HomeViews award-winning development located in the heart of Castlefield. It has access to a variety of convenient transport links – Deansgate is a three-minute tram journey whilst Cornbrook Metrolink Station is a three-minute walk away. In addition, MediaCityUK is just a 12-minute commute. The development itself comprises 232 pet-friendly one, two and three-bedroom apartments. Residents have access to a wide range of facilities, including a fully equipped gym as well as a landscaped communal garden. The building also provides a 24-hour, on-property concierge service.
In fifth is the ever-popular Duet. Now managed by JLL, the development is part of MediaCityUK on the waterfront in Salford Quays. There are wide range of local amenities, including 15 bars/restaurants, shopping outlets, leisure facilities, a cinema, a theatre, and a nursery. The development comprises 270 pet-friendly one, two and three-bedroom apartments to rent. In addition, the building also provides a 24-hour concierge service. Finally, it offers extensive communal spaces, including a fully equipped private gym.
There’s another Media City favourite at number 6. The Green Rooms, managed by AmroLiving offers a great range of one to three-bedroom apartments for rent. Additionally, the development benefits from being pet friendly, waterside views, a residents’ gym and bike storage. The Green Rooms is also just just a few minutes walk from a wide variety of transport links and amenities.
One happy resident wrote in August 2024: “The management in the building are great. Always helpful and help find solutions. The building is kept clean with regular works done to the communal areas to keep fresh. The variety of work spaces available is great for people who work from home or if you need a quiet place to work in the evening.”
In 7th, Poplin is one of the newer developments in Manchester, and offers 1, 2 and 3-bedroom apartments to rent in a community of 144 homes. Residents benefit from flexibility, social spaces and rooftop views. Additionally, residents can enjoy a communal atrium garden, glass atrium and social lounge, and a bookable kitchen. Bordering Ancoats, Poplin is just a couple of minutes’ walk to the Shudehill interchange, and five minutes to Victoria Station. It’s also a short walk to spots such as Angel Meadow, Cutting Room Square and New Islington Marina – or onwards to any of the shops, bars, restaurants and supermarkets of the Northern Quarter.
Coming in at eighth place in our list of new build developments in Manchester is Angel Gardens by Moda Living. The development is situated in the heart of Manchester, within the NOMA innovation district. It features a total of 466 interior designed apartments to rent with a mix of sizes, ranging from studios to three beds. In addition, it offers no deposit and is pet-friendly.
Likewise, residents benefit from 250MBPS WiFi, Samsung 50″ inch smart TV included in their rent. Plus, onsite amenities include: a rooftop sports pitch, rooftop terrace, residents’ gym, sky lounge, private dining room, media room and atrium. Pay your rent, book community events or chat to your neighbours with the MyModa app. A free health check when you move in, wellbeing workshops and classes with hero, Moda’s health and wellbeing partner.
The Residences Manchester occupies ninth place in our rankings. This coveted development is a Build to Rent arrangement featuring a range of one, two and three-bedroom apartments. Residents have access to a wide range of shared amenities. These include a 20-metre indoor swimming pool, sauna, gym, yoga and dance studio. The development is only a three-minute walk away from both Castlefield and Deansgate stations.
Taking 10th place and located in the Manchester Piccadilly district, Kampus is Manchester’s garden neighbourhood. In the centre of the city, by the canal, near the station – Kampus is mere minutes from everything. With secret streets, gardens and terraces, and independent food and drink, there’s so much to discover.
With 1 and 2 bedroom apartments, across 5 beautiful, individual buildings – available to rent now – an on-site team on hand whenever you need them 24/7. In addition, Kampus is pet friendly (with dog walking), has super-fast broadband included. Likewise, there is a gym, yoga terrace, cinema and a lounge in which to work (or play).
You might think that the pandemic would have slowed or even stopped Manchester’s explosive growth. In fact, it barely made a dent. More new homes were built in Manchester in 2020 than any other year, almost 5,000 in total. In 2021, the city broke its own record, with 5,549 new homes built in the Greater Manchester area.
Even before the record-breaking years of 2020 and 2021, Manchester was already enjoying a massive surge of property development. Figures from the Office for National Statistics say that construction output in the north-west was 10 times the national average in 2018, and since then Manchester has become the leading city in the region for building new homes.
Today, there are several billion pounds invested in the new homes Manchester is building. Industry analysts are constantly revising this figure upwards, as more developers look to get in on the action. It’s not just the private sector either. By 2025, we should see another 32,000 new build homes Manchester City Council has pledged to build.
What are the top areas for new builds in Greater Manchester?
While the city centre is a magnet for investment, there are plenty of prospects for new build homes Manchester-wide. From the mega-trendy Ancoats neighbourhood to the expanding Media City and revitalised Eastlands, there’s a rapidly growing supply of new build homes to buy in Manchester.
The same applies to the Greater Manchester area. Bolton, Rochdale and Stockport now boast hundreds of new build homes developments.
If you want to take a wider look at the best-rated developments across Manchester, we have a top 20 list right here. Our Greater Manchester area guide also provides a useful overview for property hunters in the area.
HomeViews collects verified resident reviews for new build homes across the UK. The rankings below are calculated based on the overall star ratings for each development. However, the HomeViews Transparency Rating also affects a development’s ranking, as this indicates how recent its reviews are Read more about Greater Manchester
HomeViews is the only independent review platform for residential developments in the UK. Prospective buyers and tenants use it to make an informed decision on where to live based on insights from carefully verified resident reviews. Part of Rightmove since February 2024, we’re working with developers, house builders, operators, housing associations and the Government to give residents a voice, recognise high performers and to help improve standards across the industry.