November 2004 new house-building statistics

Statistics released today by NHBC reveal that the number of UK applications to build new homes in November 2004 showed an increase on applications for the same period last year.

In November 2004 15,354 applications were made to start new homes in the UK by the combined public and private sectors, showing a six per cent increase on the same month in 2003 (14,459). Private sector starts for the month increased to 14,030, an eight percent rise on November 2003 (12,967). However, there were 1,324 UK housing association applications, an 11 percent decrease on November of the previous year (1,492).

Additional information from NHBC reveals that an average of 534 new homes were sold each day during November 2004, an eleven percent decrease on the same month last year (603).

New build completions for the combined public and private sectors totalled 16,920 in November 2004, a one percent decrease on the same month last year (17,059).

Imtiaz Farookhi, Chief Executive of NHBC, says: "The increase in the number of applications to start new homes is an encouraging indication of confidence within the new house-building industry. Additionally, despite a decrease in the average number of daily sales in November, NHBC statistics show an overall increase of six percent this year on the same period in 2003, indicating a steady demand for new homes. "

Ends