31,753 new homes were registered in the private sector, a 6% increase on the 30,086 a year ago. The public and affordable sector was down 13% with 9,469 new homes registered compared to 10,845 in Q2 2015.
The overall number represents a 1% increase on the same period last year when 40,931 new homes were registered, making it the strongest quarter since 2007.
The figures portray a mixed picture across the UK with half of the 12 regions showing an increase in registrations during Q2, including the South East (+37%) and the North East (+34%) with the other half reporting a decline in numbers, such as Wales (-30%) and London (-29%) compared to the same period last year.
The number of new home completions for the rolling 12 months July 2015 – June 2016 also increased by 6% when compared to the previous 12 months (July 2014 – June 2015). This mirrors the strong growth seen in registrations in recent years, resulting in these new homes being completed over the past twelve months.
As the leading warranty and insurance provider for new homes in the UK, NHBC's registration statistics are a lead indicator of UK house-building activity. For 80 years, NHBC has been committed to driving up quality and raising standards in housebuilding and has approximately 80% market share.
NHBC Chief Executive Mike Quinton said: “Our latest statistics show that the industry continues to consolidate on the strong growth in registrations seen over recent years. These registrations reflect continued industry confidence in the run-up to the EU Referendum at the end of June. Indeed, this period was the strongest quarter since Q4 2007, albeit still some way off levels seen over a decade ago. NHBC remains fully committed to support the industry to build new homes to the highest possible standards.”
