30th Jul 2025 02:46
(Alliance News) - New home registrations showed "modest growth" in the second quarter of this year, according to the National House Building Council.
Across the UK, 30,405 new homes were recorded by the NHBC, a warranty and insurance provider, as being registered to be built in the second quarter of 2025, up by 4% when compared with the same quarter in 2024 and the first quarter of 2025.
Some 32,434 new homes were completed in the second quarter of 2025, which was 5% down on the same period in 2024.
Yorkshire and the Humber, South West England and Northern Ireland recorded particularly big annual jumps in registrations in the second quarter for new building work starting, the NHBC said.
In London, registrations for new work to be started more than halved compared with a year earlier, with 904 registrations in the second quarter of this year, down from 2,191 in the second quarter of 2024.
The report said that London continues to be affected by the new building safety regime for high rise buildings and a depressed level of activity from housing associations.
Apartment registrations across the UK were down by 23% in the second quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, with 4,002 registrations recorded. All other house type registrations were up, with terraced houses experiencing the biggest annual increase, at 33%, to reach 5,371, the report said.
The NHBC has a 70%-plus share of the UK warranty market and its figures indicate the stock of new properties in the pipeline as homes are registered with it before being built.
Steve Wood, chief executive at NHBC, said: "There has been modest growth in house building registrations in (the second quarter) compared to last year, signalling an uplift in confidence from developers, especially in low-rise housing.
"While some areas of the market remain subdued, we remain optimistic about the longer-term as planning and land restraints are increasingly unblocked, mortgage rates ease and the government sustains a focus on new home delivery."
The NHBC recorded 20,924 private sector registrations in the second quarter of 2025, up by 6% compared with the second quarter of 2024.
The rental and affordable sector saw a 1% uplift over the same period, with 9,481 new homes registered in the second quarter.
Quarter-on-quarter, rental and affordable registrations jumped by 6%, as the industry welcomed Chancellor Rachel Reeves's social and affordable homes programme, the NHBC said.
The government has said it is taking steps to tackle skills shortages in the construction sector and unlock development and opportunity on building sites, with the aim of building 1.5 million new homes as part of its wider plans to drive economic growth.
Wood added: "The demand for social and affordable homes across the UK is acute, so it is encouraging to see long-term targeted funding for this sector.
"At NHBC we are focused on supporting developers to ensure such new homes are built to the quality owners and occupiers should expect. This is particularly important in periods of growth."
source: PA
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