<p><span>New home registrations across the UK fell 23% in 2020 against the previous year but with figures recovering close to pre-pandemic levels in the final quarter, down 2% year-on-year, according to the latest figures from NHBC.</span><span></span></p><p><span>In 2020, a total of 123,151 new homes were registered to be built, NHBC’s data showed. The largest falls occurred in Q2 as sites were shut in response to the first lockdown. With sites reopening securely and activity quickly regaining momentum, registrations in Q4 rose 34% against Q3 to 39,749 new homes.</span></p><p><span>Private home registrations during the year dropped 26% to 81,067, whilst those for the affordable and Build to Rent sector fell 16% to 42,084. The “more limited” fall in the latter sector reflected the continuing attractiveness of UK housing as an asset class, NHBC said.</span></p><p><span>The near recovery at the end of the year was also seen through new home completions, decreasing </span><span>23% for the whole year against 2019 to 115,455 and falling 7% in Q4 to 39,170 compared to Q4 2019.</span></p><p><span>Each UK region experienced a fall in registrations, with the South East, Scotland and Northern Ireland recording the largest decreases at -</span><span>28%, -28% and -38% respectively. </span></p><p><span>Cities saw greater falls in registrations than their …