Anti-competitive behaviour alleged in compensation claim
A £4.5bn legal claim has been brought against seven of the UK’s largest housebuilders, alleging anti-competitive conduct.
Mark McLaren, Co-Founder and Director of the Class Representatives Network, has brought the case for more than 700,000 people against Barratt Redrow, Bellway, Berkeley Group, Bloor Homes, Persimmon, Taylor Wimpey and Vistry Group.
McLaren is represented by law firms Geradin Partners and Hausfield.
The claim seeks compensation for homeowners who purchased a new-build home in Great Britain between October 2015 and 24 June 2026, and alleges that these buyers were impacted by information sharing.
The news comes after an investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority into anti-competitive behaviour by the same developers. The review concluded with the housebuilders agreeing to a package of commitments and paying £100m to affordable housing programmes across the UK, without admitting any wrongdoing.
Before the case can proceed, it must first be approved by the Competition Appeal Tribunal.
SME survey reveals confidence decline
The Home Builders Federation (HBF) has published the results of its second quarterly SME Developer Sentiment Survey, revealing a reduction in SME confidence.
The survey called for developers building up to 500 homes a year to provide their views, with the latest findings reporting that more than nine in ten respondents said the Middle East conflict had worsened their business outlook for the coming year.
Expectations for land purchasing, housing starts and housing market conditions also weakened since the first survey in March.
Burnham promises council housing drive
Andy Burnham – the man expected to succeed Keir Starmer as Prime Minister – set out his vision for the country this week, promising the biggest country-wide council housing programme since the Second World War.
Announcing an extension of the Prime Minister’s Office based in Manchester, Burnham said: “Number 10 North will oversee the biggest council housebuilding programme since the post-war period,” adding that “we will use vacant public land to reduce cost”.
Meanwhile, Housing Secretary Steve Reed announced this week that he has been working up plans for a state-owned housing developer, as reported in the Guardian.
The plans cannot be enacted before Starmer steps down, but could appeal to Burnham.
Annual house price growth edges up in June
UK annual house price growth rose from 1.7% in May to 2.2% in June, according to the latest Nationwide house price index.
The monthly change was just under 0.0%, with the average property valued at £277,484 (May: £278,024).
All UK regions enjoyed annual house price growth in the second quarter of the year, with Northern Ireland continuing to outpace the rest of the UK, at 8.6%.
Average prices in Northern England grew by 3.1% year on year, with the South of England experiencing stable growth at 0.7%.
Meanwhile, property website Zoopla reported 1.4% growth year on year in June 2026, supported by easing mortgage rates and resilient demand in many regions.
The firm said that it expected price growth to ease further in the second half of the year, with sales likely to finish -6% to -8% lower than 2025.
House price inflation is also expected to ease to around 1% in the second half of the year.
Housebuilding in Scotland slumps to lowest level since pandemic
Latest Government statistics have revealed that 17,268 new homes were built in Scotland in the year ending March 2026 – a reduction of -10% since 2024-5 and the least amount of homes completed since 2020-21.
Meanwhile, housing starts in 2025-26 also fell to their lowest level since 2012-13, at 14,955.
Jane Wood, Chief Executive of membership body Homes for Scotland, described the figures as a “another clear warning that Scotland remains on a deeply concerning housing trajectory.”
Developer and supply chain updates
The Hill Group reported record turnover of £1.164bn and pre-tax profit of £92.5m for the year to 31 March 2026, with completions rising to 3,329 homes despite challenging market conditions.
The housebuilder also increased net assets and cash reserves, while highlighting growth in its build-to-rent business and the resilience of its diversified operating model.
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Sovereign Network Group has launched its 2026–2031 corporate strategy, centred on delivering the best customer experience through proactive maintenance, digital services and AI, while making its customer-designed Homes and Place Standard a non-negotiable benchmark across all properties.
The housing association also reaffirmed its long-term development ambitions, with plans to build 22,500 homes over the next 10 years and retrofit 15,000 existing homes.
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The latest Builders Merchants Building Index showed like-for-like sales values fell -0.6% in April compared with a year earlier, as a -3.5% decline in volumes outweighed a 3% increase in prices.
Over the three months to April, sales values were down -2.8%, while annual sales values slipped -0.7%, reflecting continued weak demand despite higher prices.