Home Builders Federation

We are the voice of the home building industry in England and Wales. Our members deliver around 80% of the new homes built each year.

[Home Builders Federation @HomeBuildersFed]

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.

For smaller builders operating on tight margins, these costs can place significant pressure on cashflow and threaten the viability of future sites.

At a time when the country urgently needs more homes, policy should support delivery, not create additional barriers.

[Home Builders Federation @HomeBuildersFed]

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 👉 https://t.co/g291pG1V6P

[Home Builders Federation @HomeBuildersFed]

This is a focus area for our Skills team. In 2023 we worked with our members to launch the Women into Home Building programme. Designed to address barriers to entry, the 3-week programme has since introduced hundreds of women to onsite leadership careers. This is one example of many initiatives home builders are delivering to address gender imbalance within the industry - the work continues...

[Home Builders Federation @HomeBuildersFed]

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. 👇

[Home Builders Federation @HomeBuildersFed]

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 👉 https://t.co/2gCCbvgIdF

[Home Builders Federation @HomeBuildersFed]

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 👇
https://t.co/jXFU1q77hW

[Home Builders Federation @HomeBuildersFed]

Since 2020, £76,000 has been added to the average cost of building a new home.
Let’s look at a break down of those costs 👇

🟦 More than £7,000 in taxes and levies, including…
🔸 £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 such as Section 106 agreements

🟦 Over £23,000 in regulatory costs including…
🔸 £7,770 for building regulations
🔸 £5,700 for Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)
🔸 £10,200 in costs linked to the Future Homes Standard

🟦 £37,000 in increased material and labour costs due to high levels of inflation
🟦 £7,000 in additional potential site-specific costs, like nutrient mitigation requirements

We’re calling on Government to implement a moratorium on new policy costs, taxes, and levies affecting home building and to conduct a comprehensive review of cumulative regulatory impacts.

[Home Builders Federation @HomeBuildersFed]

This session will cover
♦️The regulatory shift in waste compliance
♦️Enforcement trends and investigation activity
♦️Duty of care obligations under Section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990
♦️ “Cause or permit” liability under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016
♦️The compliance gap between policy and defensible evidence

With Digital Waste Tracking becoming mandatory from October 2026 for permitted receiving sites, the need for a centralised and auditable chain of custody is rapidly becoming unavoidable.

Register to attend 👇
https://t.co/2gCCbvgIdF

[Home Builders Federation @HomeBuildersFed]

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

https://t.co/g291pG1V6P

[Home Builders Federation @HomeBuildersFed]

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. 👇

[Home Builders Federation @HomeBuildersFed]

There’s still time to sign up for our open webinar on what the 2026 Senedd election means for the home building industry in Wales.

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, including emerging priorities for housing and planning policy and what this means for the sector going forward.

📅 Wednesday 3 June
⏰ 12.30pm to 2pm

Register to attend 👇
https://t.co/L2cv1P7jW5

[Home Builders Federation @HomeBuildersFed]

https://t.co/jXFU1q77hW

[Home Builders Federation @HomeBuildersFed]

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 hosted by Rhodri Williams, our Technical and Sustainability Director, where Will Rundle, CEO, Nexus ReGen will update on
♦️The regulatory shift
♦️Duty of care obligations
♦️Compliance evidence gaps across the supply chain
♦️What regulators and investigators look for in practice

Register to attend 👇

[Home Builders Federation @HomeBuildersFed]

Read the full report 👇️
https://t.co/xq2nQL2KnF

[Home Builders Federation @HomeBuildersFed]

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

The research, produced in partnership with Paragon Development Finance, finds that almost half of local authorities are charging developers full council tax on newly built homes before they are sold or occupied, and in some cases before they are even habitable.

For smaller builders already facing high upfront costs, weak demand, labour and materials pressures, and growing policy costs, premature council tax bills can have a serious impact on cashflow and future delivery.

We are calling on Government to introduce a clearer, fairer and more consistent national framework.

[Home Builders Federation @HomeBuildersFed]

Home building is becoming increasingly unviable across many parts of England and Wales.
Rising policy, taxation, and regulatory pressures mean build costs have risen by on average around £76,000 per home since 2020.

At the same time, demand-side constraints and ongoing barriers - including planning delays - are compounding the challenge.

The risks associated with building today have seen SME numbers dwindle, planning applications plummet, and housing delivery nose-dive, with just 208,000 new homes completed in 2024/25 - down 16% from the 2020 peak.

Policymakers must give serious consideration to the real-world cumulative impact of layered regulation on housing delivery.

For too long, the industry has been treated as an easy target for additional taxation and policy burdens - but there is a limit to how much private businesses can absorb.

That’s why we are calling for a moratorium on any new policy costs, taxes, and levies affecting home building, while a full review of cumulative regulatory impacts is undertaken.

[Home Builders Federation @HomeBuildersFed]

⌛ One week to go until our open Wales webinar on the 2026 Senedd election!

A month on from the election, understanding the shifting political and policy landscape is critical for the home building industry.

Join us for a timely discussion exploring what the results mean for housing and planning policy in Wales, including key decision-makers, emerging priorities, and what to expect next for the sector.

We’ll also look ahead to upcoming HBF policy work on home building challenges in Wales, alongside planned engagement activity to support calls for intervention on housing policy.

We’ll hear from an expert panel, including:

🗣 Mark Harris, Planning and Policy Advisor for Wales, HBF
🗣 Alexander Magee, Account Director, Cavendish Consulting
🗣 Laurence Thompson, Policy and Campaigns Officer, HBF
📅 Wednesday 3 June
⏰ 12.30pm to 2pm

Register to attend 👉https://t.co/L2cv1P7jW5

[Home Builders Federation @HomeBuildersFed]

You can also sign up to @No_Falls to access its resources hub 👇️
https://t.co/3MqWf7Oiq9

[Home Builders Federation @HomeBuildersFed]

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 👇️

[Home Builders Federation @HomeBuildersFed]

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