The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has accepted binding commitments worth £100 million (€118 million) from seven of Britain’s largest housebuilders — Barratt Redrow, Bellway, Berkeley, Bloor, Persimmon, Taylor Wimpey and Vistry — to resolve concerns over the exchange of competitively sensitive information.
The decision follows an investigation launched in February 2024 into suspected coordination among leading housebuilders between January 2022 and February 2024. The CMA had expressed concern that the companies regularly shared confidential data on sales prices, buyer incentives, reservations and visitor numbers, which may have reduced uncertainty between competitors and distorted competition in local housing markets across Great Britain.
In response, the companies have offered a package of commitments designed to prevent future information exchanges and strengthen compliance with competition law. The undertakings include an industry-wide ban on sharing confidential sales and marketing data, support for the development of guidance on information exchange by the Home Builders Federation and Homes for Scotland, and enhanced internal compliance and training programmes. Each company will appoint a compliance officer, conduct regular staff training, and report annually to the CMA on adherence to the commitments.
As part of the package, the firms will collectively contribute £100 million to UK government programmes supporting the construction of affordable housing. They have also confirmed that this payment will not be claimed as a tax deduction. The commitments will remain in effect for five years and will be subject to monitoring by the CMA, which retains the power to reopen the investigation or impose penalties in the event of non-compliance.
The CMA stated that the commitments address its competition concerns and that their acceptance does not represent a finding of infringement under the Competition Act 1998. However, the authority emphasised that the decision sends a strong signal to the sector about the risks of sharing commercially sensitive information and the importance of compliance with competition law.
This resolution is one of the most significant competition interventions in the UK housebuilding industry, combining behavioural remedies with a substantial financial contribution aimed at supporting broader public policy objectives in housing.
