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, uses anonymised data submitted by member organisations to highlight the top health and safety concerns across home building. The more members that take part, the more robust and representative the dataset becomes, helping the industry better understand trends, share learning, and focus action where it can make the greatest difference. Members are encouraged to speak to their Health and Safety teams to check whether their organisation is already contributing anonymised RIDDOR data to HBF. Get involved in the next reporting period 👇️ hbf.co.uk/policy/health-and-… #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. 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.

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 👉 surveymonkey.com/r/9T59VFB

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. 👇

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 👉 hbf.co.uk/events/understandi…

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 👇 hbf.co.uk/events/understandi…

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.

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 👇 hbf.co.uk/events/understandi…

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 surveymonkey.com/r/9T59VFB

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. 👇

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 👇 hbf.co.uk/events/the-2026-se…

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.

⌛ 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 👉hbf.co.uk/events/the-2026-se…

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