New-build home registrations reach 11-year UK high

The number of new-build homes being registered jumped to an 11-year high in the third quarter of 2018, according to an industry body.

Some 43,578 new homes were registered across the UK between July and September - the highest total since the third quarter of 2007, according to the National House Building Council (NHBC).

The NHBC’s figures are taken from builders who are responsible for around 80% of homes constructed in the UK.

Builders are required to register a house with the NHBC, a warranty and insurance provider, before starting work, which means its figures represent homes to be built in the months ahead.

The number of homes being registered was also 15% higher than in the third quarter of 2017.

Rising registrations in the private and the affordable sector have helped push the figures up, the NHBC said.

London has seen a dramatic increase, up 141% to 6,007, compared with a lower-than-usual figure of 2,492 in the same period last year, its report said.

This is partly due to a number of large developments being registered by housing associations and by investors focused on the private rental sector, according to the NHBC.

It said the 71% increase recorded for Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man was a result of similar development.

Scotland, Yorkshire and Humberside and the South West of England also saw considerable growth in new-build registrations compared with 2017.

NHBC CEO Steve Wood said: “The upturn in registrations over recent months is good news for the industry and shows that there remains a strong demand for high-quality new homes in many parts of the UK.

“The increase in London is welcome, although it has been boosted by a number of large-scale developments and has to be set against unusually low figures this time last year.

“On a broader front, the industry remains cautious in the short-run until the impact of Brexit is clearer.

“Attaining the Government’s target of 300,000 new homes by the middle of the next decade will require a real focus on innovation, particularly the use of modern methods of construction, and on building skills and capacity in the workforce onsite, topics many builders are actively grappling with.”