The NHBC has reported an 11% growth in new home registrations for 2025, with private sector registrations up 12% and affordable home registrations up 10%.
While the registration figures provide a more positive outlook for house building activity, new home completions stood at 122,012 in 2025, 2% down on 2024 (124,272).
NHBC says the registration figures – 115,350 registrations (2024: 103,669) – point to an increase in homebuilding activity, albeit the numbers still fall behind long-term averages.
London is the only region to see decline in new home registrations amid regulatory challenges and affordability crisis. Apartments were the only house type not to experience growth in 2025.
“Whilst there are some tentative signs of conditions improving for developers to build homes, fragile consumer confidence, affordability challenges and economic uncertainty continue to impact demand,” said Daniel Pearce, corporate strategy director at NHBC.
Private sector registrations were up 12% to 75,227, compared to 67,265 in 2024. The rental and affordable sector saw a 10% uplift in the same period, with 40,123 new homes registered in 2025 versus 36,404 in 2024.
Across the UK, all regions apart from London experienced year-on-year growth in registrations, with the West Midlands (+29%) and Eastern region (+24%) seeing the highest increases. London registrations were down a significant 27% as lengthy delays at the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) and a drop in affordable homes delivery impacted development in the capital.
“We’re increasingly hearing of housebuilders reducing their operations in London, citing regulatory challenges and cost. Set against a decline in affordable housing delivery and a backlog of building control applications, it is unsurprising apartment registrations fell in 2025,” added Mr Pearce.
Mr Peare described the 2% drop in new home completions as “marginal” and a reminder that industry barriers must be tackled to stand any chance of meeting the government’s promise to build 1.5 million new homes.
“Accelerating planning reforms and addressing the skills shortage will help house builders deliver quality new homes, but resolving affordability challenges for homebuyers remains the key to unlocking demand and boosting house building activity.”
