Raising standards to protect homeowners
Consistent Improvement for UK House Building Sector
NHBC's October figures show the number of registrations to build new homes has reached 9,163 - the highest level since July 2008.
And, during the three months from August to October 2009, NHBC received 24,896 applications to build new homes in the UK - an increase of 27 per cent on the same period last year.
Imtiaz Farookhi, NHBC Chief Executive, said: "It is encouraging that this month¿s figures yet again show steady improvement in house building, supporting what many in the industry are saying - that the worst may be over.
"However, these figures are still well below the buoyant levels we saw in late 2007 and it is still very difficult to predict when and to what extent recovery will come, especially as we enter the winter period. The coming months will be a testing time for the industry, and it may be some time before we can confidently say that the industry is in recovery."
NHBC statistics show that the vast majority of regions have improved on last month's rolling quarter figures, and all regions have improved when compared with the same period in 2008. Unsurprisingly Greater London appears to be leading the way, with 4,167 registrations during the period August to October 2009, and many regions are now following. The North East, for example, showed a 306 per cent increase on the same period last year, and Merseyside a 120 per cent increase.
NHBC statistics for the three months to the end of October 2009 also show:
- Recovery in the private sector continues. Private sector applications were up 45 per cent across the UK to 16,630 from 11,507 for the same period last year.
- Public sector figures for the three months to the end of October were also up, at 8,266 - 3 per cent higher than the same period a year ago (8,041).
- The average number of daily sales of new homes in the UK recorded by NHBC during August to October 2009 was 345 - just 8 per cent lower than the same period a year ago (375)
NHBC publishes a quarterly booklet of its new house-building statistics - subscribe here.
Ends
Note to editors:
(i) Full regional breakdown of new homes registered August to October 2009 by region / country:
Region |
August to October
|
August to October
|
Percentage Increase / (-) Decrease |
England - Regions |
|
|
|
North East |
869 |
214 |
306% |
North West |
1,263 |
892 |
42% |
Merseyside |
334 |
152 |
120% |
Yorkshire & the Humber |
1,264 |
1,156 |
9% |
West Midlands |
1,367 |
1,130 |
21% |
East Midlands |
1,896 |
1,513 |
25% |
Eastern |
3,010 |
2,947 |
2% |
South West |
3,015 |
2,115 |
43% |
Greater London |
4,167 |
3,350 |
24% |
South East |
4,045 |
3,268 |
24% |
Totals for England |
21,230 |
16,737 |
27% |
Scotland - Councils |
1,768 |
1,482 |
19% |
Wales - Unitary Authorities |
825 |
690 |
20% |
Northern Ireland - Counties |
947 |
578 |
64% |
Isle of Man |
126 |
61 |
107% |
Totals for UK |
24,896 |
19,548 |
27% |
NHBC is the leading warranty and insurance provider for new homes in the UK. It was established more than 73 years ago as a non-profit distributing company. NHBC's primary purpose is to help raise standards to protect homeowners. NHBC's ten-year 'Buildmark' warranty covers more than 80% of new homes built in the UK and currently protects approximately 1.6 million homes.
News Date: 23/11/09