# Taylor nudges down annual earnings forecast after budget uncertainty hit sales

By David Fell — 2026-01-15

David Fell, lead analyst at Hamptons, said: “The results of larger listed housebuilders have become a bellwether for the number of homes being built, particularly as smaller developers have been squeezed.

“While the government will welcome any increase in housebuilding, a single-digit percentage point uplift is unlikely to get them close to their 1.5m target for this parliament.

“And there are relatively few signs that developers are planning to quickly ramp up housebuilding rates this year.

“Landbanks have generally been shrinking, and cash that could have been ploughed into buying new sites is increasingly being returned to investors.

“The most profitable sites are being prioritised while a growing list of schemes which are less likely to make any money have been mothballed. This is likely to keep a lid on the number of homes built in 2026.”

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