A rise in new home registrations in Q2, reports NHBC

Figures released by the National House Building Council (NHBC), the UK’s largest provider of new home warranties and insurance, show 30,405 new homes were registered to be built in Q2 2025, up 4% on Q2 2024 (29,103) and 4% more than Q1 2025 (29,192).

Steve Wood, CEO at NHBC explains: “There has been modest growth in house building registrations in Q2 compared to last year, signalling an uplift in confidence from developers, especially in low-rise housing.

“While some areas of the market remain subdued, we remain optimistic about the longer-term as planning and land restraints are increasingly unblocked, mortgage rates ease and the Government sustains a focus on new home delivery.”

There were 20,924 private sector registrations in Q2 2025, up 6% on Q2 2024 (19,728). The rental and affordable sector saw a 1% uplift in the same period, with 9,481 new homes registered in Q2 2025 versus 9,375 in Q2 2024.

Quarter-on-quarter, rental and affordable registrations rose 6% as the industry welcomed Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ £39bn Social and Affordable Homes programme over the next ten years.

Steve Wood added: “The demand for social and affordable homes across the UK is acute, so it is encouraging to see long-term targeted funding for this sector. At NHBC we are focused on supporting developers to ensure such new homes are built to the quality owners and occupiers should expect. This is particularly important in periods of growth.”

Across the UK, six out of 12 regions saw a rise in registrations in Q2 2025 compared to Q2 2024, with the highest increases in Yorkshire and Humberside (+96%), the South West (+75%) and Northern Ireland (+44%). London saw the biggest fall (-59%) as the capital continues to be affected by the new building safety regime for high rise buildings and a depressed level of activity from housing associations.

Apartment registrations across the UK were down 23% in Q2 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. All other house type registrations were up, with terraced houses experiencing the largest increase at +33%.