87% of SME home builders say buyer support would make them more likely to start new sites. New SME Sentiment Survey shows demand-side constraints continue to limit delivery 👇 ➡️ 69% cite housing market conditions as a top barrier ➡️ 63% point to low buyer confidence ➡️ 41% highlight mortgage rates

New data released today shows new home completions in Wales have increased by 11% 📈 Here’s what the numbers tell us 👇 🔸 5,159 new homes were completed in Wales in 2025/26, up 11% 🔸 Around 4,800 new homes were started in 2024/25, up 12%

11,000 first-time buyers have been supported onto the property ladder through Help to Buy Wales. In the decade since its launch, 15,000 buyers have used the scheme – helping them to step onto or up the property ladder & generating a return to Welsh Government of over £40 million.

Over 90% of SME home builders say the Iran conflict has worsened their 12-month outlook. Over a quarter have already paused or reconsidered new sites Geopolitical uncertainty is adding to existing pressures and risks further constraining delivery. SME Sentiment Survey➡️ buff.ly/ZdnBNzf

Around a third of all new Affordable Housing in Wales is delivered by private sector home builders… With 900 Affordable Homes funded by developer contributions each year on average.

Funding for our Brickwork and Roofing Masterclasses is due to end in September, leaving just a limited window for site teams to take advantage of this fully-funded training opportunity. If you've been considering booking a session, now is the time to do so. buff.ly/No54gop

Time is running out to book fully-funded Brickwork and Roofing Masterclasses. ✔ Delivered on your site ✔ No cost to your business or subcontractors ✔ Supports quality, productivity and skills development Book before funding ends in September. Brickwork 👉 buff.ly/quj1AQF Roofing 👉 buff.ly/EYyhV2E

7 in 10 SME home builders now have a negative 3-month outlook for the housing market. Our latest SME Sentiment Survey shows: 📉 75% view conditions negatively 📉 44% expect housing starts to fall 📉48% reporting significant caution or delays to site starts Full results 👉 buff.ly/ZdnBNzf

Now included in www.thinkhouse.org.uk :: @homebuildersfed.bsky.social REPORT :: Build the homes Wales needs and unlock hundreds of millions in community investment :: Awaiting Editorial Panel assessment. #ukhousing #housingresearch #housingpolicy

Last year, the unemployment figure in Wales increased by a third – from 3.3% to 4.5%. Home building supports around 17,500 jobs in Wales each year, inc over 200 apprentices, graduates and trainees – like this group of apprentices training with Davies Homes, an SME home builder based in South Wales.

Join technical professionals from across the home building industry at the HBF Technical Conference 2026. With the Future Homes Standard now published, alongside evolving environmental and regulatory demands, this year’s conference will explore these significant changes. Book now 👉 buff.ly/FuZAOey

88% of SME home builders report that council tax charges are affecting their cash flow, therefore threatening their ability to deliver future sites. Almost half of LAs are charging full council tax on unoccupied new homes, inc those still under construction - like this example from Baker Estates.

Has the implementation of BNG been a barrier to the growth of your business? How about consumer affordability, planning delays or delays to electricity grid connections? SME home builders, share your views 👉https://buff.ly/PoBd4HR

Looking to stay ahead of the latest policy, regulatory and investment developments shaping the housebuilding sector? HBF has two upcoming webinars that offer expert insights and the opportunity to hear directly from industry leaders and policymakers.

Delivering 23,000 homes for market sale during this Senedd term could unlock ✅ Thousands of affordable Homes through £200 million of private sector investment ✅ Around 3,700 school places based on £65 million of investment ✅ £650 million of Spending within local communities and high streets

Tickets are now on sale for our 2026 planning and technical conferences Join us this September at Birmingham’s Austin Court for two of the home building industry's leading annual events. 📅 HBF Planning Conference – 9 September 2026 📅 HBF Technical Conference – 10 September 2026

More than 15,000 tradespeople have already benefited from our trade masterclasses initiative, with sessions delivered on home building sites across the UK With CITB funding ending in September, now is the time to book sessions for your sites. Brickwork 👉 buff.ly/quj1AQF Roofing 👉 buff.ly/EYyhV2E

Yesterday, HBF was at the Senedd Marketplace sharing our latest report with Members of the Senedd. It was great to engage with political stakeholders, including the Minister for Housing, Siân Gwenllian MS, Shadow Housing Minister Francesca O'Brien, and Welsh Conservative leader Darren Millar.

Rising policy, taxation and regulatory pressures, alongside inflation and demand-side constraints, are making residential development increasingly unviable.Although many of these measures are well intentioned, policymakers have introduced them without consideration for the impact on housing delivery

8,700 new homes are estimated to be needed to be delivered each year to meet Wales’ unmet housing need. Yet the average annual delivery rate during the last Senedd term was only 5,100 homes. Despite housing supply dwindling, home builders continue to make a significant contribution to communities.

Home building in Wales supports more than 17,500 jobs and delivers over £100 million in community investment each year. Delivering new housing in Wales has become increasingly difficult in recent years, with waning support in part due to the benefits of development often being overlooked.

How confident are you in competition law compliance? Stay ahead of competition law risks and strengthen your compliance knowledge at our upcoming webinar with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).

SME home builders, which of the following have been major barriers to your business’s growth in the last 12 months? 🔸Cumulative policy and regulatory costs 🔸Planning delays 🔸Nutrient neutrality Be heard 👉 buff.ly/PoBd4HR

Developer appeals against council tax bills are rising sharply. Our report finds that the 2025/26 tax year saw a 154% increase in developers appealing council tax bills compared with 2022/23. This rise reflects growing pressure on home builders.

Did you know HBF members can contribute data to help strengthen industry-wide health and safety insight? HBF’s latest Annual RIDDOR report, produced with the HBF Health and Safety Committee, highlights top health and safety concerns for industry. #HHAW #HHAW26 #HardHatAwarenessWeek

This is the reality facing many SME home builders under the current council tax regime. Our report warns that developers are being charged council tax on newly built homes before they are complete, sold, occupied or, in some cases, fully habitable.

With Digital Waste Tracking becoming mandatory from October 2026 for permitted receiving sites, the need for a centralised chain of custody is rapidly becoming unavoidable. Join us for this live briefing and Q&A to put your questions to Will Rundle, CEO at Nexus ReGen Register now for free 👇

64% of SMEs cited cumulative viability pressures as a major barrier to growth in our last State of Play survey. Has this figure increased or decreased? SMEs, tell us 👉 buff.ly/PoBd4HR

New homes waiting to be sold are not long-term empty homes. Our Licence to Bill report shows that the current council tax regime is placing unfair pressure on builders, particularly SMEs. 👇

Attendees will gain practical insight into what regulators and investigators actually look for, including: ✔ Waste Transfer Note verification ✔ Carrier registration checks ✔ Facility permit validation ✔ Correct EWC coding Register to attend 👇 www.hbf.co.uk/events/under...

Since 2020, £76,000 has been added to the average cost of building a new home👇 🟦 Over £7,000 in taxes and levies 🟦 Over £23,000 in regulatory costs 🟦 £37,000 in increased material & labour costs 🟦 £7,000 in potential site-specific costs, like nutrient mitigation

The survey to inform our next State of Play report is now live It’ll take no more than 8 minutes to complete … and closes Tuesday 30 June buff.ly/ObXG1TC

This session will cover ♦️The regulatory shift in waste compliance ♦️Enforcement trends and investigation activity ♦️Duty of care obligations ♦️ “Cause or permit” liability ♦️The compliance gap between policy and defensible evidence Register to attend 👇 buff.ly/dRJZt07

There’s still time to sign up for our open webinar on the 2026 Senedd election. Join Mark Harris, Planning and Policy Advisor for Wales at HBF, alongside expert speakers for a discussion on how the election results are shaping the political and policy landscape in Wales. Register👇 buff.ly/vCWTeBT

Council tax should not be charged on new homes before they are completed. Our report calls on Government to introduce a fairer and more consistent national approach to council tax on newly built homes. 👇

Waste compliance is increasingly being treated as a financial crime risk, with serious consequences for organisations that cannot evidence what happened to their waste. Join us for a live session 👇 www.hbf.co.uk/events/under...

Today we’ve published our latest report. It warns Government that council tax charges on incomplete newly built homes are putting SME builders, development viability and housing delivery at risk. 🧵👇️

Home building is becoming increasingly unviable across many parts of England and Wales. Rising policy, taxation & regulatory pressures mean build costs have risen by on average £76,000 per home since 2020. At the same time, demand-side constraints and ongoing barriers are compounding the challenge

⌛ One week to go until our open Wales webinar on the 2026 Senedd election! Join us for a timely discussion on what the results mean for housing and planning policy in Wales, including key decision-makers, emerging priorities, and what to expect next. Register to attend 👉https://buff.ly/vCWTeBT

For years, policymakers have relied on the assumption that rising housing delivery costs could be offset by falling land values. That assumption has now reached its limit. The continued decline in sites securing planning permission shows how difficult it is to push this any further.

This week is #NoFallsWeek Ensuring safe working practices while working at height is essential in home building. Take the time to view the statistics and useful resources for industry 👇️

Starting off the week by wishing everyone good luck with the second week of Women into Home Building placements 👷‍♀️

An overview of dditional average costs layered on to delivering each new build home since 2020 👇 ⬆️ More than £7,000 in taxes & levies, inc £2,000 in Landfill Tax £2,320 from the forthcoming Building Safety Levy £2,055 in other taxes £985 from inflationary increases on existing charges

How are regulation, taxation, inflation and policy costs impacting the viability of residential development? Our research sets out the increased costs per home 👇

How would you describe your overall outlook on the housing market over the next three months in each region you operate in? Take 5 minutes to complete our survey and help us build a clearer picture of current conditions 👉 buff.ly/bOvbXlH

Confirmed: 1 fireside conversation, 1 panel debate, 1 Chair, and 5 fantastic participants. We’re looking forward to sponsoring our first event at #UKREiiF next Weds, 20 May. Join us from 4pm in the Asian and African Gallery - and if you can't make our session, do join us for a drink afterwards.

2 days to go ⏳️ Are you attending the HBF Midlands Dinner? 📅 Thursday 14 May 📍 Eastside Rooms, Birmingham

Share your insights by 5pm next Monday, 18 May. Our latest Quarterly SME Sentiment Survey is now open. It takes less than 5 minutes to complete and helps us generate actionable insights for the industry. 👉 buff.ly/bOvbXlH

How will yesterday’s Senedd election impact the home building industry in Wales? Join this upcoming webinar, open to all, which will explore what the 2026 Senedd Election results mean for housing and planning policy. 📅 Wednesday 3 June ⏰ 12.30pm to 2pm Register for the session 👇 buff.ly/vCWTeBT

It's election day in Wales. With housing delivery near historic lows, urgent government action is needed. We're calling the next Welsh Government to support our calls for: 🔹 A national all-tenure housing target 🔹 Up-to-date Local Development Plans 🔹 Extending Help to Buy Wales beyond 2026