MORE than 150,000 new homes were registered in the UK by the National House Building Council (NHBC) in 2016, the second highest in almost a decade.

The 2016 figures represent a 70 per cent increase in registrations compared to levels seen at the time of the housing crash in 2008/09.

The private sector saw 115,689 new homes registered compared to 117,506 in 2015, with 35,998 registered in the affordable sector, compared to 37,998 the previous year.

The NHBC’s latest data also revealed that seven out of 12 regions experienced an increase in registrations, most notably Yorkshire & Humberside (+27 per cent), South-East (+14 per cent) and North-West (+12 per cent), compared to 2015 figures.

Additionally, the overall UK total, excluding London registrations, shows a four per cent increase on 2015, with 134,365 registrations in 2016 compared to 129,744 the previous year.

The number of new homes completed during 2016 (141,175) was also marginally up by one per cent on 2015’s total (140,407).

In terms of house types, 2016 saw the highest number of detached homes registered in the UK since 2004 and the highest number of semi-detached since records began 30 years ago.

As the leading warranty and insurance provider
for new homes in the UK,
the NHBC’s registration statistics are a lead indicator of the country’s new homes market.