The Wire · Housing
Home Builders Federation··ReleaseHousing
96% of SME housebuilders hesitant to invest, HBF survey finds
Corrected on 27 October 2026. See our corrections.
A survey of small and medium housebuilders by the Home Builders Federation and Quantum Development Finance found that 96% were hesitant to invest in new developments. Sixty-one per cent expect to start fewer homes over the next three months, up from 29% at the start of the year. Development viability was the constraint named most often, by 84%. HBF says new taxes, levies and inflation have added around £76,000 to the cost of building each home.
Our readWhen this many builders say they are hesitant to invest, the slowdown shows up in starts and sentiment long before it can be measured in completions.
Read the announcement at Home Builders Federation →
More from Home Builders Federation
Nothing else yet.
More in Housing
- Morgan Sindall says 2026 profit will beat forecasts againConstruction Enquirer · 5 November 2026
- Crown Estate wins planning for 75 low-carbon homes in HertfordshireThe Crown Estate · 30 October 2026
- Fifteen contractors join Manchester's new £1bn construction frameworkConstruction Enquirer · 22 October 2026
- Bouygues clears Gateway 2 for 295-home south London estate rebuildConstruction Enquirer · 21 October 2026
- Construction materials demand to keep falling until 2028, MPA warnsMineral Products Association · 20 October 2026
- Domis lined up for 44-storey Manchester tower after Gateway 2Construction Enquirer · 20 October 2026
Reports that cover this
- No RoadQuarterly Sector Report
- Common GroundQuarterly Sector Report
Every item, dated and sourced
- The Wire archiveUK & Ireland infrastructure, every weekday
The Wire is free, every weekday morning: what regulators, government departments, network operators and developers released the day before, each item dated and read at source. Get it in your inbox.