New home numbers continue to rise

In April there were 11,484 new homes registered in the UK compared to 8,238 in April 2012 – an increase of 39%.

In line with the positive Q1 statistics, 2013 continues to show a marked improvement on the number of new homes registered with NHBC, with year to date figures 26% higher for the period January to April compared to the same period last year (43,223 in 2013 compared to 34,236 in 2012).

As the leading warranty and insurance provider for new homes in the UK, NHBC’s monthly registration statistics indicate trends in construction.

NHBC commercial director Richard Tamayo said: “April’s registration figures, combined with early indications of increased activity in May, build upon the solid volume growth seen in Q1 2013.

“Similar to previous registration figures this year, the upturn can be attributed in part to the government’s £2.2bn Affordable Homes Programme which according to housing minister Mark Prisk is on track to deliver the target of 170,000 new homes by 2015.

“We still need to remember, however, in the context of overall new home volumes, that the figures remain significantly below registration levels prior to the economic downturn and the levels the UK urgently requires to meet the needs of its demographic.”

NHBC UK statistics for the three months February to April 2013 show that the number of registrations was up 25% on the same period last year (from 26,405 last time to 33,111).

Private sector registrations for February to April 2013 increased by 20% (24,542), compared with the same period last year (20,390).

Public sector registrations for February to April 2013 increased by 42% (8,569) when compared with the same period a year ago (6,015).

Regional breakdown of total new homes registered February to April 2013 by region/country:

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