New home figures continue to rise, reports NHBC

More than 13,500 new homes were registered to be built in the UK in April, according to the latest figures from NHBC - an increase of 21% compared to a year ago.

13,527 new homes were registered (9,972 private sector; 3,555 affordable and rental sector) compared to 11,218 a year ago (7,427 private sector; 3,791 affordable and rental sector).

Seven of the 12 UK regions saw an increase, with London seeing another considerable rise in registrations – up 61% (5,475 in 2019 v 3,397 in 2018).  This is driven by growth in the numbers of larger developments and an increased appetite in the private rental sector.  In addition, the strong level of growth compared to April last year is partly due to the impact of the freezing weather in Spring 2018.

Looked at over a rolling quarter, 38,496 new homes were registered to be built compared to 36,042 in the same February – April period last year. The private sector was up 4% (27,881 in 2019 v 26,754 in 2018), with the affordable and rental sector up 14% (10,615 in 2019 v 9,288 in 2018).

NHBC is the leading warranty and insurance provider for new homes in the UK and its registration statistics are a lead indicator for the new homes market.

Commenting on the new figures, NHBC Chief Executive Steve Wood said: “It is great to see another strong month for new home registrations.  To date, there is little evidence that Brexit uncertainties are denting developer confidence, whilst the continued flow of inward investment into the private rental sector is another good sign of resilience.”

NHBC UK statistics show that:

• During Feb’ 19 – April ‘19 the number of NHBC new home registrations was 38,496 compared to 36,042 a year ago.
• 27,881 were registered in the private sector, compared to 26,754 in the previous year.
• 10,615 were registered in the affordable and rental sector, compared to 9,288 in the previous year.

Full regional breakdown of total new homes registered during this period:

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.