News from 16 March 2026
Private new housing output in Great Britain fell 6.3% in the three months to January 2026, according to the ONS. It was the largest negative contributor to a 2% fall in overall construction output over the same period.
The ONS figures
The Office for National Statistics said total construction output fell by 2.0% in the three months to January 2026, the fourth consecutive fall in the three-month series. New work dropped by 3.2%, while repair and maintenance slipped by 0.4%. Within that, private new housing was the main negative driver, down 6.3%.
There was a small monthly rise in overall construction output in January itself, but that came from repair and maintenance rather than a rebound in new work. In other words, the headline picture is still one of a housebuilding sector under pressure rather than one that has clearly turned a corner.
That lines up with what many landlords will already have noticed in the real world: higher costs, slower decision-making and a market that still feels cautious even when headline policy talk is more upbeat.
