Confidence returned to housing market before vote to leave EU

THE NUMBER of new homes being registered across the UK hit its highest levels since 2007 in the second quarter of 2016, according to an industry body.

And for the first time since the early 2000s, the number of detached family-sized homes being registered is higher than the number of flats.

Yorkshire and Humberside, the East Midlands, Eastern England and the South-West also saw increases in new build registrations compared with a year earlier, while the West Midlands and the North-West saw falls.

The figures were provided by the National House Building Council (NHBC), a warranty and insurance provider.

It said 41,222 new homes were registered in the second quarter of this year, marking a one per cent increase on the same period a year earlier and the highest figure for any quarter since the last three months of 2007.

The private sector drove the upswing, with a six per cent increase in new homes being registered compared with a year ago, while the number of new homes registered in the public and affordable sector was down 13 per cent by comparison.

The NHBC’s registration figures are taken from builders who are responsible for around 80 per cent of homes constructed in the UK.

NHBC chief executive Mike Quinton said the figures reflect “continued industry confidence in the run-up to the EU referendum”. Speaking generally about the mood in industry in the wake of the referendum, Mr Quinton said while the outcome was “clearly a surprise” for many, confidence was returning.