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ARTICLE · 16 MAY 2024

The CMA's Housebuilding Sector Investigation

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In February 2023, the Competition and Markets Authority ("CMA") launched a market study into the housebuilding sector in England, Scotland and Wales.

United KingdomAntitrust/Competition Law
Alex Millar
Alex Millar
Stephen Whitfield
Stephen Whitfield
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1. The market study

In February 2023, the Competition and Markets Authority ("CMA") launched a market study into the housebuilding sector in England, Scotland and Wales. As discussed here, they sought to understand how the market is structured, the relationships between key participants, and other aspects of the way the industry operates at each key stage of the housebuilding process. Their goal was to explore whether there are distortions in the housebuilding sector that are harming consumers, for example: because prices are higher, profits are higher, or quality/innovation is lower than if the market worked well.

2. The update report

In their update report in August 2023, which we wrote about here, the CMA reported on its preliminary findings and launched a consultation on its proposal to refer the sector for a full market investigation. It set out its two main areas of concern in the UK's housebuilding sector in the competition law context:

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