The firm said it was still too early to assess the referendum’s long-term impact on the housing market but it was encouraged by the competitive lending attitudes of mortgage providers and its business volumes at the start of H2.
Customer confidence was ‘solid’, it said, after monitoring several performance indicators in the weeks after the Leave vote.
Pete Redfern, chief executive, said: “Over the last month, the actions and commentary by the government, Bank of England and mortgage lenders demonstrate a commitment to housing supply and a recognition that there remains a fundamental imbalance between demand and supply in the UK.
“Customer interest remains high, with website visits solid and customers continuing to register interest in forthcoming developments and to make appointments to progress their home purchases. Whilst we saw a small increase in the average cancellation rate immediately following the referendum, this remained low compared to long term historic norms and is now back in line with recent low levels.”
In its financial update for the six months to 3 July, the housebuilder completed 6,019 homes, excluding joint ventures, up 3% on H1 2015 build figures of 5,842.
The firm saw a 5.8% increase in its total average selling price to £238,000 compared to £225,000 in the first six months of 2015.
A 2.1% increase in profit before tax and exceptional items to £266.6m, was reported.
Looking forward, Taylor Wimpey begins H2 with a strong order book representing 8,683 homes, valued at £2,156m, compared to 8,120, at 28 June 2015 with a £1,859m,
Laith Khalaf, senior analyst, Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “Taylor Wimpey isn’t blinking in the face of Brexit, and its early indications show the referendum hasn’t really dented business.
“Confidence is a key part of the housing market, and so far this seems to be holding up well in the weeks following the EU vote.”
