NHBC says market has seen a “sustained increase in registrations compared to last year”

Market forecast

New home registrations in the UK are continuing to rise, with the NHBC reporting a 24% increase for August to October compared to the same period in 2012.

October alone saw a 31% increase over the previous October, with 12,682 homes registered, up from 9,680 the previous year.

Broken down by region, Greater London saw one of the largest increases over the three month period, up by 58%, while Scotland increased its registrations from 1,980 to 2,533 - a rise of 28%.

However, the south east and south west of England both witnessed minor decreases, and Wales saw a 5% drop in registrations.

NHBC says this year is set to produce the largest amount of new homes since 2007.

NHBC commercial director Richard Tamayo said: “There is little doubt that government schemes, such as Help to Buy, have contributed to the growth seen throughout 2013, whilst Labour’s [housing] announcement last week shows that the housing deficit across the UK remains high on the agenda from a political perspective.

“However, many independent commentators feel that although [Labour’s] target to build 200,000 new homes a year is ambitious, it may still not be enough to meet the growing housing needs of the population.”