NHBC statistics reveal “perfect storm”
New data from the NHBC has found that private sector new home registrations fell by -7% in the first quarter of 2026 when compared to the same quarter in 2025, as developers face the “perfect storm of rising costs and falling demand”.
UK new home registrations were also down by -6% in Q1 2026 versus Q1 2025, at 26,959 new homes (Q1 2025: 28,715).
The rental and affordable sector also saw a -4% fall, with 8,887 new homes registered versus 9,276 in Q1 2025.
Our latest figures indicate house builders are taking a cautious approach to registering new plots as fragile consumer confidence, affordability challenges and global economic uncertainty continue to impact demand.
Daniel Pearce, Corporate Strategy Director, NHBC
Meanwhile, total construction output is estimated to have grown by 1.5% in March 2026, according to official figures from the Office for National Statistics, driven by increases in both new work and repair and maintenance.
King’s Speech introduces Remediation Bill
The government will bring in a Remediation Bill to speed up work on high-risk buildings, announced in the King’s Speech this week.
The Bill will introduce a legal obligation for those responsible for building safety to “identify, assess and fix their buildings without delay”.
Those who fail to comply will face criminal prosecution “in the most egregious and severe cases”.
The King also announced a Social Housing Renewal Bill to incentivise the building of more social homes. The document accompanying the King’s Speech stated that “this country has not built enough social and affordable housing for decades”.
Construction sits among top five career interests
New research from the Careers & Enterprise Company and Home Builders Federation (HBF) has found that young people are becoming increasingly interested in construction careers, but that the sector is struggling to convert interest into sustained employment.
A survey of more than 330,000 young people revealed that construction sits among the top five career interests, but that they “often lack understanding of the range of roles, pathways and confidence in their essential workplace skills”.
Meanwhile, HBF analysis shows that every 10,000 additional homes built creates more than 30,000 direct and indirect jobs across the economy, while Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) forecasts estimate the sector will need almost 48,000 additional workers every year to meet housing and infrastructure targets.
Developer and supply chain updates
Vistry said it has made “excellent progress” in reducing its stock of completed open market homes, with year-to-date sales rates rising 32% to 1.2 sales per site per week. However, the partnerships housebuilder warned that first-half profit will be significantly lower than last year after offering increased discounts and incentives to drive sales, particularly on low-margin and near-complete schemes.
The company said trading had moderated in recent weeks amid uncertainty linked to the Middle East conflict, which is also placing upward pressure on material and labour costs. Vistry expects the impact of discounting on profitability to ease in the second half of the year, although profit has also been affected by measures aimed at improving cash generation.
–
Honey has reduced its annual pre-tax loss by 34%, reporting a deficit of £8.2m for the year to December 31 2025, compared with £12.8m the previous year. The Sheffield-based housebuilder, backed by Alchemy Partners, also moved to an operating profit excluding one-off costs of £3.4m, reversing a £5.9m loss in 2024.
However, high borrowing costs continued to weigh on performance, with interest expenses totalling £11.9m for the year.
–
Marshalls reported trading in line with expectations in the first four months of the year, with revenue flat at £205m. The building products manufacturer said its UK-focused production network had helped limit exposure to disruption caused by the conflict in the Middle East, supporting continuity of supply and service.
The group said its Transform & Grow initiative is improving operational performance and strengthening its market position, while maintaining tight control over cash and costs. Broker Investec described the update as “relatively reassuring”, noting that full-year profit expectations remain unchanged.
–
Bromford Flagship LiveWest (BFL) has reported strong first full-year results following the January 2026 merger between Bromford Flagship and LiveWest, highlighting expanded capacity to deliver new homes and invest in existing properties. The merger unlocked an additional £1.5bn of investment capacity, taking BFL’s total planned investment to £3.4bn over the next 15 years.
Customer satisfaction improved by 2 percentage points to 84%, while turnover approached £1bn, with 82% generated from social housing lettings. Chief Finance Officer Jo Makinson said the group had maintained stable operating margins and financial resilience while increasing investment across both existing homes and its development pipeline.
Housing View 