NHBC reports highest third quarter new home registrations in a decade
Builders registered nearly 38,000 new homes in the UK during Q3 2017, according to NHBC’s latest new home registration statistics, the highest Q3 total since the recession.
In the period July – September 37,936 new homes were registered, representing a 6% increase on the 35,946 registered in the same period last year.
The private sector saw a 9% increase for the quarter (Q3 2017: 29,083 vs Q3 2016: 26,611), with 8,853 new homes registered in the affordable sector, a 5% decrease on Q3 2016 (9,335).
Seven out of the 12 UK regions experienced growth in registrations, when compared to the same period last year. Scotland (3,056 +50%), East Midlands (3,575 +42%) and the North East (2,078 +34%) were among the regions with most notable growth.
As the leading warranty 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 latest new home statistics, NHBC Chief Executive Steve Wood said:
“We have seen encouraging growth in terms of the number of new homes being registered over the last three months, across many parts of the country.”
“With demand for high quality new homes as strong as ever, this is positive news for the industry and prospective homebuyers, particularly in light of the current political and economic uncertainties.”
NHBC UK statistics for Q3 2017 show
The number of registrations was 37936, a 6% increase on last year (35,946). Of these:
- Private sector registrations in Q3 2017 increased by 9% (29,083), compared with the same period in 2016 (26,611).
- Affordable sector registrations in Q3 2017 decreased by 5% (8,853) when compared with the same period in 2016 (9,335).
Full regional breakdown of new homes registered in Q3 2017 by region/country:
| Country/Region |
Q3 – 2016 |
Q3 – 2017 |
| England – Regions | ||
| North East |
1,152 |
2,078 |
| North West |
4,784 |
4,609 |
| Yorkshire & the Humber |
2,301 |
2,104 |
| West Midlands |
2,748 |
3,513 |
| East Midlands |
2,513 |
3,575 |
| Eastern |
3,571 |
3,992 |
| South West |
3,946 |
3,431 |
| Greater London |
3,860 |
2,494 |
| South East |
6,330 |
6,697 |
| Totals for England |
31,605 |
32,493 |
| Scotland – Councils |
2,033 |
3,056 |
| Wales – Unitary Authorities |
1,296 |
1,638 |
| Northern Ireland – Counties |
1,012 |
749 |
| Totals for UK |
35,946 |
37,936 |
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 1.6 million homes.
Further information and charts:
NHBC Q3 Stats
