NHBC stats - MiHa (embargoed till Friday 0001am)

Registrations of new homes in the UK hit their highest half-yearly total since 2008 during the first six months of 2013, according to the National House Building Council.

The NHBC’s latest figures, released on Friday, showed that 67,422 private and public sector homes were registered between January and the end of June - the highest mark over six months since the first half of 2008.

New quarterly figures which completed the data showed there were 35,683 registrations from April to June, an increase of 38 per cent over the 25,798 from the same period last year.

‘Our latest statistics show an encouraging broad-based recovery,’ said Richard Tamayo, commercial director of the NHBC. ‘While London remains an engine for growth we are seeing overall numbers up across the UK,’ he added.

Private sector registrations hit 48,817 in the first six months of 2013, an increase of 23 per cent on the same period last year. Meanwhile, public sector registrations rose 56 per cent to 18,605.

Mr Tamayo said that ‘the way things are going, this is going to be the best year since 2007 by some way.’

However, he warned that even if that was the case, home building would still be ‘nowhere near the levels of six years ago,’ and that period’s lofty figures were already ‘nowhere near meeting the needs of a growing UK demographic.’

NHBC statistics cover around 80 per cent of market across the UK, with registration taking place shortly before a site starts.

The organisation says home builders are forced to pay a premium per home for registration so its numbers are a reliable leading indicator.