Housing Association Housebuilding Completions Drop By Fifth

 The number of homes built by housing associations fell by almost a fifth in the 2020/21 financial year due in part to the pandemic. Data collated by the NHF showed that approximately 44,000 homes of all tenures were started in 2020/21, with 38,200 completed. In terms of homes built, housing associations completed 4,240 social rent homes, a decline of 13% on 2020. Affordable rental home completions fell by 19% to 16,038 and affordable homes for sale fell by 19% to 11,959. Total affordable home completions stood at 32,237 a drop of 18%. Market rent completions stood at 1,095 during the year, a drop of 12%, and market sale homes dropped 19% to 4,910. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/housing-association-housebuilding-completions-drop-by-fifth-72715

Summer Quarter Saw Housing Bounce Back

Between July and September 2020, 45,000 homes were completed on site, according to building control figures published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). This is a 185 per cent increase on the number completed between April and June, when England was on its first lockdown to stem the spread of Covid-19. Where work started on site during this quarter, 35,710 homes were started, 111 per cent more than the previous quarter. Again, this reflects the national restrictions in place during the Covid-19 pandemic. Read more on the Planning Portal.

https://www.planningportal.co.uk/news

More Than 400,000 First Time Buyers On Housing Ladder With Help To Buy

Over 458,000 completions have taken place overall using one or more of the Help to Buy schemes. Some 402,000 of which were first time buyers. Quarterly Help to Buy statistics also show that:

·        first time buyers have now opened 1.2 million Help to Buy: ISAs, offering government bonuses of up to £3,000 on top of their savings

·        the average house price purchased through the schemes is £201,881

·        over 93% of completions across the Help to Buy schemes have taken place outside of London

Read more on the Homes England website.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/more-than-400000-first-time-buyers-step-onto-the-housing-ladder-with-help-to-buy

Social Rented Housing: Construction – Parliamentary Written Answer

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many new build council and housing association homes were (1) completed, and (2) occupied between 6 May 2010 and 7 May 2015 with funding approved before 6 May 2010.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: Since 2010, we have delivered over 378,000 new affordable homes, including over 273,000 affordable homes for rent. Between 6 May 2010 and 7 May 2015, 98,700 affordable homes were completed with programme funding approved before 6 May 2010. This is across Housing Associations, Local Authorities and NonRegistered Providers. We do not have data on occupation.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Lords/2018-07-03/HL9173

UK New Home Registrations Up 6% In 2017

More than 160,000 new homes were registered to be built in the UK last year, an increase of 6% on 2016, according to NHBC’s latest new home statistics. 160,606 homes were registered throughout the course of 2017, up from the 152,017 the previous year and the highest since the pre-recession levels of a decade ago. The private sector grew by 3% with 118,825 new homes registered, with the affordable sector increasing by 14% to 41,781 – the highest yearly total for the sector since NHBC electronic records began 30 years ago. New home completions also increased by 4% from 141,685 in 2016 to 147,278 last year. Read more on the NHBC website.

http://www.nhbc.co.uk/media-centre/articles/statistics/2017-Annual-Stats/

Labour Demolishes HCA Affordable Homes Stats

Report shows 13,549 housing starts on site and 11,867 housing completions delivered through HCA  programmes in England from April to September this year. Now Labour has demolished latest HCA stats showing a ‘rise’ in the number of affordable homes being built. Shadow secretary of state for housing, John Healey, says the stats in fact show a 98% fall in new social rented homes. Healey said: “These shocking new figures show that in the six months before the chancellor’s so-called ‘housing Budget’, the number of new government-funded homes for social rent fell by 98% compared to Labour’s last year in office.” Read more on 24housing.

Lowest Number Of Grant-Funded Social Rented Homes Built On Record

Fewer homes for social rent were completed between April and September this year with grant funding than in any comparable period on record, according to statistics from the CLG. Figures on affordable housing funded by the Homes and Communities Agency and the Greater London Authority show that 199 homes were built for social rent in the period, slightly down from 241 in the same period last year.  The number of affordable housing completions funded by both bodies over the period in total increased slightly to 10,704, compared to 9,079 in the same period last year. This was driven by an increase in affordable rented housing and a significant increase in affordable home ownership. Download the figures from the HCA website.

Affordable Housing Completions Up 27%

Affordable housing completions rose 27% in England last year, with the increase driven by new homes for affordable rent and shared ownership. The numbers include all homes for social rent, affordable rent, intermediate rent, affordable homeownership and shared ownership. Last year’s figure of 32,630 represented a low point in recent years and despite this year’s rise it is still the second-lowest level of overall delivery since 2004/5. Social rent completions dropped 21%, down to 5,380 in 2016/17 from 6,800 the previous year. Numbers of affordable rent completions rose 47% from 16,550 up to 24,350, while shared ownership deliveries more than doubled from 4,080 up to 8,810. Download the figures from the CLG website.

Help To Buy Supports Over 320,000 People In Buying Their Own Home

The government’s Help to Buy schemes have continued their success, supporting over 320,000 people across the UK to buy a home. Over 1 million Help to Buy: ISAs have now been opened by first time buyers, offering government bonuses of up to £3,000 towards the cost of a first home.

Statistics show that:

·         over 320,000 completions have taken place using one or more of the Help to Buy schemes

·         over 275,000 first time buyers are now on the housing ladder thanks to Help to Buy

·         the average house price across the schemes is £196,092, below the average UK house price

·         over 90% of completions across the Help to Buy schemes have taken place outside of London

Read more on the CLG website.

Associations Blame Brexit For Fall In Completions

The number of homes built by the 50 biggest associations dropped by 3.4%, from 31,988 to 30,906. This was a less dramatic fall than the previous year, when numbers fell by 20%. This compares to more thorough data covering 82% of housing associations released in May by the National Housing Federation, which showed associations started 47,709 homes of all tenures and completed 38,082 in the year to April 2017. This was a rise of 13% in terms of starts and a fall of 5% in completions. Many in the sector remain optimistic, though, predicting more completions for the coming year than they did in last year’s survey. Overall, the top 50 expect to build 38,005 homes in 2017/18. Sites are secured on 91% of these. Read more on Inside Housing.

Housing Association Development Starts Rise 13%

The number of new homes started by housing associations rose 13% to almost 48,000 in the last financial year, figures on the sector’s output reveal. Data released by the National Housing Federation (NHF) shows associations started 47,709 homes of all tenures and completed 38,082 in the year to April 2017. The NHF started surveying its members last year to gain a “complete picture” of the sector’s development output, due to “long-standing problems” with the official government figures. The figures are based on responses from 82% of developing housing associations. The number of completions dipped 5% in the year, representing the slowdown in development starts 18 months ago following the surprise four-year rent cut. Read the full briefing on the NHF website.

New Homes: Where Is The Supply Being Concentrated?

Since the seventies, housing starts and completions across England and Wales have been on a downward trajectory. The long run average over the last 50 years has been around 180,000 per annum, with the highest numbers being achieved at the start of this period and the lowest in the immediate aftermath of the global financial crisis of 2007/08. Over the last few years government initiatives, including the Starter Homes Fund, Housing Zones and Get Britain Building to name a few, have been launched to help stimulate the house building industry. This plus a recovery in the housing market has resulted in a pick-up of supply taking both starts and completions in line with each other at about 150,000 in 2015/16. Read more on Estate Agent Today.

New Housebuilding In London To Halve As Sales Fall

Completions of new homes in London by private builders will plummet to just 18,000 by 2021 as developers adjust to lower rates of sales in the capital, Savills has warned. The property consultancy released its forecasts for the London property market today, showing total completions are expected to peak at 46,500 homes this year, above the 42,000 target set in the London Plan. However, it warns private starts will total just 21,500 this year, with completions by the private sector dropping to 18,000 within four years as builders adjust to lower sales rates. Read more on the Savills website.

Help To Buy Scheme's Impact Across England Revealed

The BBC has analysed official figures from the CLG. It found:

·         Help to Buy loans were used to purchase 76,559 homes outside of London between April 2013 and April 2016. This is equivalent to 30% of the 255,960 privately built new properties completed in that period.

·         In London, there were 4,483 completions using equity loans, equivalent to 11% of the 41,480 privately built homes over the same time.

·         Fewer than one in every 500 London homes has a Help to Buy loan, compared with one in every 200 elsewhere in England.

·         There was a surge in uptake of the loans in Greater London after February, when the government increased the upper limit for new home-buyers in the capital from 20% to 40% of the property's value.

Read more on the BBC website.

Housing Completions – Parliamentary Written Answer

Asked by Lord Birt: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many new housing completions have occurred since 2010; and what is the estimated increase in the UK's population during that period.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: Over 893,000 additional homes have been delivered in England since April 2010. Figures show an estimated increase of 2.1438 million in the population of England between mid-2010 and mid-2015.

Affordable Housing Stock Grows At Lowest Rate Since 1992

England’s stock of affordable homes grew by its lowest level since 1992, new government figures show. The total amount of net additions to the affordable housing stock fell to 32,110 in 2015/16, according to the affordable housing supply live tables from the CLG. The number of additional affordable homes fell nearly 52% between 2015/16 and the previous year. However, this drop is likely largely a consequence of the movement between funding programmes. The final year of the Affordable Homes Programme 2011/15 saw a high volume of completions, as providers raced to finish schemes before the deadline. Download the figures from the GovUK website.

Record Number Purchase With Help To Buy Equity Loan

A record number of buyers purchased a home through the Help to Buy equity loan scheme in the second quarter of 2016, following an extension in London.  Completions using an equity loan reached 10,721 between March and June – beating the previous peak of 10,649 in the last quarter of 2015. The equity loan sees the government lend 20% of the purchase price with the buyer getting a mortgage on the rest. This was lifted to 40% in London from February. So far, 91,759 properties have been bought through the equity loan scheme. Read more on the GovUK website.

English Housing Completions Rise By Six Per Cent

The number of newly built homes in England has increased by six per cent in the past year, according to the latest figures published by the government. The latest house building data shows that 139,030 new homes were completed and more than 144,280 homes were started in the year to June 2016. Meanwhile, figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders show there are more first-time buyers than at any time since 2007, with 72,800 in England in the second quarter of 2016. According to the CLG the data showed strong regional growth in London, Swindon and Wakefield, which are all experiencing high levels of completions. Download the latest figures from the CLG website.

UK Housing Crisis Isn’t Supply Problem

Conventional wisdom maintains that the bubble in UK home prices is due to inadequate supply. Conventional wisdom is wrong. Despite tough British planning laws, the shortage of housing across the country is not acute. Overvaluation is largely the result of ultra-low interest rates. Low interest rates may be with us for a while. Relative to income, house prices have never been as unaffordable as they are today. Is a shortage in new homes to blame for the high prices? Last year, housing completions in the United Kingdom rose to just over 150,000. That’s 30 percent less than the average number of housing units completed annually in the 1980s. The solution is simple, say the pundits: Britain needs more houses. Planning regulations should be relaxed. Yet if high home prices were really the result of shortages, more people would be squeezed under the same roof. Read more on the Reuters website.

Quicker To Build Homes On Brownfield Sites

Housing developments on brownfield sites are completed more quickly than those on greenfield land. While the time between planning permission and work starting is generally the same for brownfield and greenfield sites, brownfield developments are finished more than six months sooner, research for the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) found. The research looked at 1,040 developments with active planning consent during three years up to March 2015 in 15 urban and urban-rural fringe local authorities. Both types of site - brownfield and previously undeveloped, or greenfield, land - took an average of 29 weeks to start after they had secured planning permission. But brownfield sites then took an average of 63 weeks to be completed, in comparison with 92 weeks for greenfield sites. Read more on the Daily Mail website.