In the quarter, private sector registrations dropped by 5% to 19,045, compared to 20,097 in Q2 2025. 

Registrations within the rental and affordable sector widely remained unaltered from Q2 of last year, with 10,117 new homes registered compared with 10,162 the previous year.

Daniel Pearce, chief strategy officer at NHBC, said: “Elevated interest rates, geopolitical volatility and rising costs combined with affordability pressures impacting consumer demand, meant that many house builders slowed their build programmes in the second quarter.

“While the decline in new home registrations will come as little surprise, we welcome the commitment from new Prime Minister Andy Burnham to roll out the most ambitious council house-building programme since the post-war era; this will be an important lever in boosting overall supply. 

Pearce added: “Greater clarity on the mechanisms and funding to deliver this will be welcomed by the industry and house builders stand ready to play their part.

“Accelerating planning reform and easing regulatory burdens would also help boost housing supply, while measures to improve affordability for prospective buyers are essential to unlocking demand.”

Within the UK, six out of 12 regions saw a drop in registrations in Q2 this year compared to Q2 the previous year. The largest decreases were in the South West (-42%), East Midlands (-36%) and Wales (-34%). 

The biggest rise was seen in London (+170%), with the North West (+37%), East of England (+15%), South East (+12%), West Midlands (+7%) and Scotland (+6%) also seeing a rise.