UK new home registrations level with 2017, reports NHBC

The number of new homes registered to be built by the UK’s housebuilders in 2018 was in line with 2017 figures, according to NHBC’s annual new homes statistics.

Overall, developers registered 159,617 new homes with NHBC over the year, a 0.5% decrease on the 160,396 in 2017.  The private sector was down 1% (117,497 in 2018; 118,372 in 2017) with the affordable sector essentially level (42,120 in 2018; 42,024 in 2017).

New home completions for the year were also stable, up 1% on 2017 (149,480 in 2018; 147,552 in 2017).

For the year as a whole, eight of the 12 months showed an increase in registrations on the same period a year ago.  This includes seven straight months of growth following the slow start to the year, caused by the freezing weather conditions, and is despite uncertainty in the industry around Brexit.

As the year drew to a close, the final quarter (Oct – Dec 2018) showed a 2% increase in the UK’s new home registrations (40,513 v 39,736).

Overall, there was growth in six out of the 12 UK regions in 2018 when compared to 2017, including Yorkshire & Humberside (+20%), the North West (+7%) and Northern Ireland (+39%).

In London, new home registrations were down 10% in 2018 at 16,069 (17,932 in 2017), with the capital’s private housing market bearing the brunt of the continuing political and economic uncertainties.

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 2018, NHBC Chief Executive Steve Wood said: “The full–year figures of nearly 160,000 new home registrations demonstrate the resilience of the UK house-building industry.  2018 has been a demanding year, with the extreme weather conditions in the early part and the continuing political and economic uncertainties, which are extending into 2019.  Whatever the environment, NHBC will continue to support housebuilders to deliver the high-quality, new homes that the country needs.”

NHBC UK statistics show that:

• During 2018, the number of NHBC new home registrations (accounting for approximately 80% of all new UK homes) was 159,617  compared  to 160,396  in 2017.
• 117,497  were registered in the private sector, compared to 118,372 in the previous year.
• 42,120  were registered in the affordable sector, compared to 42,024 in the previous year.

Full regional breakdown of total new homes registered for 2018 compared to 2017:

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 ten-year Buildmark warranty. Completions refer to when a new home is completed as indicated by NHBC inspectors.

The Affordable sector includes all Buildmark Choice developments, comprising of Housing Associations, PRS / Built-to-Rent and Local Authority registrations.

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

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. NHBC is a non-profit distributing organisation with no shareholders.

NHBC new homes statistics review 2018