NI's best site managers recognised by NHBC for high quality house buildingThe Pride in the Job 2026 Quality Award winners have been announced today by the National House Building Council (<a href="https://www.nhbc.co.uk">NHBC</a>). Thousands of inspections have taken place to determine the 450 winners from a field of 7,500 sites, representing the top 6% of UK site managers.&nbsp;Widely considered the ‘Oscars’ of the house-building industry, Pride in the Job celebrates site managers’ dedication to raising standards, showcasing best practice and rewarding excellence. The competition covers England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man and is open to NHBC registered builders of all sizes. Judging is rigorous, with assessment across six key areas: consistency, attention to detail, leadership, interpretation of drawings and specifications, technical expertise and health and safety.Commenting on the awards, Cassandra Codling, Senior Regional Director at NHBC said: “Winning site managers demonstrate incredible dedication, passion, commitment and leadership to produce homes of exceptional quality. The judges look for site managers who go beyond strong performance and demonstrate qualities that lift a good site manager to an exceptional one.“The competition is at the heart of NHBC’s core purpose to raise standards in house building. It inspires site managers to make their mark on the industry, earning the respect of their peers and leaving a legacy of homes built to the highest quality standards.”The Quality Award winners will now go on to compete for Seal of Excellence and Regional Awards in the autumn, with the national Supreme Award winners unveiled in January 2027.&nbsp;<hr>For a full list of the NI Pride in the Job 2026 Quality Award winners, see below:&nbsp;

Northern Ireland’s top site managers have been recognised in the NHBC Pride in the Job Awards for delivering exceptional standards. 

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Pride in the Job Winners 

Along with our legal partner, Millar McCall Wylie we have backed calls for urgent reform of Northern Ireland’s homebuying process, after new research found local movers are more likely than anywhere else in the UK to have experienced a failed property transaction.<a href="https://openpropdata.org.uk/report/">The Future of Homebuying report</a>, published by the Open Property Data Association (OPDA), points to failed transactions, repeated paperwork, delays and poor communication, with findings indicating that 77% of respondents in Northern Ireland had experienced a property transaction collapsing before completion.At a time when demand remains strong across the Northern Ireland housing market, the client experience after agreeing a property must keep pace with the way people now search for and purchase homes.The findings reflect longstanding issues that can only be tackled through closer collaboration across the property, legal and financial sectors, and say their own partnership is one example of how practical progress can be made.Together with Millar McCall Wylie, last year we launched an online legal costs calculator to give potential homebuyers instant estimates for fees, outlays and stamp duty earlier in the process. We have also been working closely together to provide public guidance on conveyancing, including what buyers can expect, what documents may be needed and how to get ‘move ready’, with the aim of reducing confusion and avoidable delays.“For too many, buying a home still involves an unnecessary level of uncertainty and stress,” said Christopher McCandless, Chief Executive, Millar McCall Wylie. “The findings of the OPDA report will not come as a surprise to anyone who has recently bought or sold a property, but they are a clear signal that reform is needed urgently.<img class="image_resized" style="width:50%;" src="https://content-hub.propertypal.com/media/2_27f33729e8/2_27f33729e8.png" alt="2.png" srcset="https://content-hub.propertypal.com/media/thumbnail_2_27f33729e8/thumbnail_2_27f33729e8.png 234w,https://content-hub.propertypal.com/media/small_2_27f33729e8/small_2_27f33729e8.png 500w,https://content-hub.propertypal.com/media/medium_2_27f33729e8/medium_2_27f33729e8.png 750w,https://content-hub.propertypal.com/media/large_2_27f33729e8/large_2_27f33729e8.png 1000w," sizes="100vw"> <span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Verdana, BlinkMacSystemFont, -apple-system, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, &quot;Open Sans&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:11px;">Millar McCall Wylie's Christopher McCandless“For us, that means giving people the facts, and ultimately the confidence, they need at one of the biggest financial and personal decision points in their lives. Buyers and sellers should be able to understand the likely costs, the legal process and what is expected of them from the beginning of their journey.“Our partnership with PropertyPal came about from a desire to demystify the homebuying process for a broad audience in Northern Ireland, helping people feel informed and therefore prepared. We believe better industry collaboration throughout the process has a huge role to play in driving meaningful change across the market,” Christopher said.Jordan Buchanan, Chief Executive at PropertyPal, added: “Greater transparency benefits everyone involved in a transaction. Knowledgeable buyers and sellers make decisions with greater confidence, while agents and legal professionals can work with clearer expectations from the outset.<img class="image_resized" style="width:50%;" src="https://content-hub.propertypal.com/media/1_870dfbfdd1/1_870dfbfdd1.png" alt="1.png" srcset="https://content-hub.propertypal.com/media/thumbnail_1_870dfbfdd1/thumbnail_1_870dfbfdd1.png 234w,https://content-hub.propertypal.com/media/small_1_870dfbfdd1/small_1_870dfbfdd1.png 500w,https://content-hub.propertypal.com/media/medium_1_870dfbfdd1/medium_1_870dfbfdd1.png 750w,https://content-hub.propertypal.com/media/large_1_870dfbfdd1/large_1_870dfbfdd1.png 1000w," sizes="100vw"> <span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Verdana, BlinkMacSystemFont, -apple-system, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, &quot;Open Sans&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:11px;">PropertyPal's Jordan Buchanan&nbsp;“The response of PropertyPal users to our work with Millar McCall Wylie has been phenomenal and shows that people value clear, practical guidance at an earlier stage of the homebuying journey. Whether they are reading advice articles, watching informative videos, exploring legal costs or simply trying to understand what comes next, buyers and sellers want to feel informed before they commit to a move,” said Jordan.<hr>The findings reinforce the need for earlier information, stronger communication and closer industry collaboration, so that homebuying in Northern Ireland becomes more efficient, better coordinated and more consumer focused. &nbsp;

PropertyPal and Millar McCall Wylie support urgent reform of NI homebuying process. 

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Working together is key for NI homebuying process

Monthly Market Snapshot:

Introducing the May 2026 Monthly Market Snapshot, where we examine the latest trends and developments in the NI housing market.The full report can be viewed below or accessed here: <a href="https://content-hub.propertypal.com/media/Monthly_Snapshot_May26_76d3c00813/Monthly_Snapshot_May26_76d3c00813.pdf">Download PDF</a>&nbsp;

Key highlights from the report include:

NI Housing Market remains resilient but some signs of moderation&nbsp;Conditions in Northern Ireland’s housing market remained resilient last month, according to PropertyPal’s latest monthly snapshot, but there are some signs of ongoing moderation in prices and activity.Average prices are still rising, indeed at some of the strongest rates in the UK according to the leading property portal. However, they are doing so at a more modest 3.8% per annum when compared to 8.6% this time last year.Rents also continued to move upwards at a rate above inflation. But at 3.7%, this has moderated considerably from two years ago when annual growth in rents was over 10%.&nbsp;

&nbsp;<blockquote>Jordan Buchanan, Chief Executive Officer at PropertyPal, commented on the February housing market:“Local market conditions remain resilient, albeit with some signs of moderation. Both house prices and rents continue to grow faster than inflation, with the latest data showing annual growth of 3.8% and 3.7% respectively. Northern Ireland continues to experience some of the strongest house price growth across all UK regions.“Overall enquiry levels remain broadly in line with last year, although transaction activity has softened, with newly agreed sales down 8% compared to the same period in 2025. However, for those properties that did secure a buyer, the average time to sale agreed was just 36 days, slightly quicker than last year and indicative of continued underlying demand.“Some loss of momentum was expected given the heightened economic and geopolitical uncertainty earlier this year and the knock-on impact this had on energy prices, inflation expectations, and ultimately both interest and mortgage rates. All things considered, the market appears stable, with most key indicators tracking close to long-term norms.“The biggest constraint on activity remains housing supply. While there have been modest improvements in resale stock levels, new home development remains well below historic levels and continues to be a significant challenge to&nbsp;the long-term sustainability of the market.”</blockquote>

Key takeaways:<ul><li>House sales: 2,187</li><li>Sales enquiries: -3.2%</li><li>House prices: +3.8%</li><li>Average house price: £242,977</li><li>Average rent: £1,013</li><li>Average listed time to reach sale agreed: 36 days</li></ul>

Introducing the May 2026 Monthly Market Snapshot, where we examine the latest trends and developments in the NI housing market.

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Pride in the Job Winners
Published 19 Jun 2026

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