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.
