UK new home registrations up 6% in 2017, reports NHBC

More than 160,000 new homes were registered to be built in the UK last year, an increase of 6% on 2016, according to NHBC’s latest new home statistics.

160,606 homes were registered throughout the course of 2017, up from the 152,017 the previous year and the highest since the pre-recession levels of a decade ago.

The private sector grew by 3% with 118,825 new homes registered, with the affordable sector increasing by 14% to 41,781 – the highest yearly total for the sector since NHBC electronic records began 30 years ago.

New home completions also increased by 4% from 141,685 in 2016 to 147,278 last year.

Nine out of 12 UK regions experienced an increase in registrations, with the East Midlands (+19% ;14,481), Wales (+19%; 5,470) and North West (+12%; 16,947) among the areas which saw noticeable growth.

Figures for London showed the rate of new homes being registered was slightly up on 2016, with 17,850 units compared to 17,587 the previous year, the first increase year-on-year in the capital since 2014.

As the leading warranty and insurance provider for new homes in the UK, NHBC's registration statistics are a lead indicator of the UK’s new homes market.

Commenting on the new home registrations statistics for 2017, NHBC Chief Executive Steve Wood said: "Our figures show the market has delivered strong growth resulting in the highest new home figures for a decade and growth across the majority of the UK, including London for the first time since 2014.

"Looking ahead, NHBC will continue to work with the industry to help raise the standards of new homes. With 6% growth in the quantity of new home registrations, the focus on delivering quality for consumers remains critical."

NHBC UK statistics for 2017 show that:

During 2017, the number of NHBC new home registrations was 160,606 compared to 152,017 in 2016. Of these:

• 118,825 were registered in the private sector, compared to 115,375 in the previous year.
• 41,781 were registered in the affordable sector, compared to 36,642 in the previous year.

Full regional breakdown of total new homes registered for 2017 compared to 2016

Registrations refer to the process of a builder registering a new plot/home to be built in the coming months or weeks, to be covered by NHBC's 10-year Buildmark warranty. Completions refer to when a new home is completed by the builder.

Changes can occur between figures published at different times owing to changes in policies and cancellations.

NHBC's role is to support the industry in maintaining and improving the build quality of new homes for homebuyers, whilst providing the benefit of its 10-year Buildmark warranty protection, when required.

NHBC does this through a wide range of activities, from standards setting through technical support to warranty and insurance.

NHBC is a non-profit distributing organisation with no shareholders. It invests any surplus into activities that improve new homes further, in particular through its research arm, the NHBC Foundation.

NHBC is the leading warranty and insurance provider for new homes in the UK. NHBC's ten-year Buildmark warranty covers around 80 per cent of new homes built in the UK, having covered nearly eight million homes since it began and currently protecting around 1.5 million homes.