The London-listed company said the need for affordable homes is continuing to boost that part of its business. But earlier this year, the group revealed that it had seen a slowdown in private sales during the summer months due to higher mortgage borrowing costs and inflation squeezing household incomes. “This trend has continued and we have not seen the seasonal increase in private sales since September that we had expected,” Vistry said in an update to investors.
The update comes after rival builders Bellway and Barratt Developments both warned over a slump in demand this month, having seen a drop in weekly reservations of new homes. Last month, Vistry unveiled plans to merge its housebuilding division with its affordable homes business Partnerships, through which it works with local government authorities and housing associations to build lower-cost homes.