A surge in new residential properties being built was recorded across the UK in July after a slow start to the year, with strong growth in the private rental sector.
New home registrations soared by 35% in July compared to July 2017, according to the latest figures released by the National House Building Council (NHBC) – bringing the total registrations for the month to 15,800 new homes.
The number registered to be built in the private residential sector climbed to 12,087, compared to 8,421 in the same month last year, while affordable sector property registrations rose to 3,782 from 3,362 the previous July.
With the government’s 300,000 new homes a year housebuilding target looming over the market, which was introduced as a measure to help ease the “housing crisis” by increasing supply and creating more affordable housing across the country, the figures show a promising step in the right direction for the industry.
New rental homes being built
London saw the biggest rise in the number of new homes registrations with an 86% uplift between May and July this year compared to the same period the previous year, which the NHBC believes is largely a result of a surge in the number of large housing associations as well as private rental sector developments registered in the city. The build-to-rent sector has soared in popularity in the UK, led by London but now becoming prominent across the country’s other major cities as the housing market continues to shift towards renting rather than owning a home.
Steve Wood, chief executive of the NHBC, said: “Following a slow start to the year due to the extreme weather, we have had promising new home figures in recent months with July seeing a real uplift. Over the last three months we have had growth in new home registrations in eight out of 12 UK regions, with London leading the way.
“NHBC continues to support UK builders in delivering high quality new homes for the benefit of consumers.”
Regionally, the highest number of new home registrations between May and July 2018 was seen in the south-east, with 6,879, followed by London with 5,289. Meanwhile, the east of England registered 4,866 during the period, followed by the north-west and Merseyside with 4,260.
According to the NHBC website, 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 ten-year Buildmark warranty.
