New home registrations fall 13% nationally

New home registrations across the United Kingdom saw a 13% annual decrease in the third quarter of the year, according to figures from the National House Building Council (NHBC). A total of 26,231 new homes were registered during this period, down from 30,279 in the same quarter of 2025. The NHBC, which holds over 70% of the UK new build warranty and insurance market, uses these registrations to indicate the pipeline of future properties.

Sectoral Declines

Read Next in News London2 min read

Google Cloud outage hits London services

Banks, property sites and apps experienced disruptions on Tuesday morning due to a regional IT incident.

Both the private and affordable housing sectors experienced a reduction in new home starts. Private sector registrations fell by 8% to 18,359, compared to 20,054 in the previous year. Registrations for rental and affordable housing saw a more substantial drop of 23%, falling to 7,872 from 10,225 in the third quarter of 2025. These figures reflect ongoing affordability pressures and supply-side challenges impacting the industry, as stated by the NHBC.

London's Housing Market

New home registrations in London broadly returned to the same level as the third quarter of 2025. This follows a significant 170% annual increase recorded in the second quarter of 2026. The NHBC noted that registrations in the capital can be volatile, often influenced by the commencement of large development projects. Despite this recent stabilisation, the longer-term trend for new home registrations in London shows a marked decline. The figures fell from 5,130 in the third quarter of 2019 to 1,223 in the third quarter of 2026.

Related Borough Coverage3 min read

Hammersmith and Fulham Council threatens to remove disabled girl's wheelchair

Family disputes council claims of working on solutions, citing accessibility needs and fire brigade's verbal confirmation.

Industry Concerns and Government Targets

Daniel Pearce, chief strategy officer at the NHBC, described the current situation as a "critical point" for the housing industry. He highlighted fragile demand and stretched affordability as key issues. Pearce stated that without measures to support demand and address delivery barriers, increasing housing supply will remain difficult. The Government has a target to deliver 1.5 million new homes in England during the current parliamentary term. Housing Secretary Angela Rayner has acknowledged the challenges posed by international economic conditions but has maintained the commitment to this target.

Future Support and Budget Expectations

The Government has introduced the Your First Home initiative, designed to assist first-time buyers with a 2.5% deposit, with an additional 20% loan provided by the Government. Further details, including income and local property price caps, are expected to be outlined in the upcoming Budget. Mr Pearce indicated that the Budget presents an opportunity to address both demand and supply-side issues, suggesting that sustainable growth requires improving affordability for buyers and creating conditions for developers to build with confidence. The Budget is also expected to include over £1 billion for social and affordable housing, alongside increased borrowing powers for councils to fund housebuilding.