Figures from home guarantee scheme Homebond show that the number of new homes registered in October fell by almost 30% compared with the same month last year.
In another illustration of how depressed the property market is, Homebond said just 56 new homes were registered last month, compared with 82 in October last year.
The Homebond figures are seen as an indicator of future housing activity. Homebond is the bigger of two companies which provide registration figures, the other being Premier.
Last year, the number of new homes registered last year fell by almost 50% compared with 2009.
