The past year has continued to bring both challenges and opportunities for small and medium-sized (SME) builders. Economic uncertainty, changing regulation and ongoing skills shortages have put pressure on businesses, while the need for more homes, better existing buildings and a skilled workforce remains as important as ever.
Against this backdrop, we’ve continued to champion SME builders, raise standards across the industry and strengthen the support we provide to our members.
Our latest Annual Report 2025–26 looks back at the progress we’ve made over the past year. Below are some of the highlights.
Building on Project Growth
Our three-year strategy, Project Growth, continues to guide our work, with five key objectives:
- Membership growth – promoting the benefits of FMB membership while maintaining high standards.
- Promotion – championing SME builders and strengthening our voice across the industry.
- Standards – driving up standards and continuing to make the case for licensing building companies.
- Commercial growth – strengthening our commercial activities to support our membership offer and financial resilience.
- Data-driven growth – using better data and insight to inform decisions and improve the support we provide.
Together, these priorities are helping us strengthen the FMB, increase our impact and build a strong foundation for sustainable growth.
Highlights from 2025–26
Over the past year, we’ve continued to strengthen our services, extend our reach and create more opportunities for members. Highlights include:
- Our Build Up podcast series achieved more than 100,000 views and downloads.
- Around 160,000 searches were made by homeowners for FMB members through Find a Builder.
- We received media coverage across 448 outlets.
- We saw a rise of 33% in Master Builder Awards attendance
- Our new e-learning platform launched, providing members with better resources to upskill themselves and their teams.
Supporting members and maintaining high standards
Maintaining the standards associated with FMB membership remains at the heart of what we do.
Our inspections service has continued to develop, with increased geographical coverage and more on-site inspections. We’ve also streamlined the booking process and focused on reconnecting with members who hadn’t been inspected for an extended period.
Alongside maintaining standards, we’ve continued to strengthen the practical support available to members. From FMB contracts and expert advice lines to dispute resolution, debt recovery support and training, our services are designed to help members navigate challenges and run successful businesses.
Championing SME builders
Our Licence to Build campaign has continued to gather momentum as we make the case for mandatory licensing of building companies.
New research and campaign activity have helped demonstrate the impact rogue builders have on homeowners and reputable businesses, while our engagement with policymakers is helping to keep the FMB at the centre of discussions around raising standards.
We’ve also continued to give SME builders a voice through national and trade media, with appearances across television, radio, print and online publications.
Making an impact across the UK
Our teams across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have continued to represent and support members at a local and national level.
From the first graduates of Build Academy in London and the launch of Women in FMB, to parliamentary events at Holyrood, Stormont and the Senedd, we’ve created opportunities to bring members together, influence policy and strengthen the voice of SME builders.
We’ve also continued to build relationships with colleges, industry organisations and policymakers to tackle some of the biggest issues facing the sector, including skills, housing, retrofit and building standards.
Celebrating the best in building
The 2025 Master Builder Awards provided another opportunity to celebrate the outstanding work of FMB members.
The awards attracted 771 nominations across 12 categories, with more than 1,200 people attending regional and Home Nation ceremonies and over 450 guests joining us for the national final in Manchester.
The awards also generated more than 223,000 social media impressions, helping us showcase the skill, professionalism and craftsmanship of our members to an even wider audience.
Looking ahead
There’s still plenty of work to do. Economic uncertainty, skills shortages, the need for more homes and the transition towards more energy-efficient buildings will continue to shape the industry.
We’ll keep championing the interests of SME builders, influencing policy and raising standards, while investing in the services, expertise and guidance our members need to build stronger businesses.
Thank you to our members
Everything we achieve is underpinned by the commitment of our members. Their dedication to quality, integrity and craftsmanship continues to strengthen the reputation of the FMB and demonstrate the value of trusted, professional builders.
Together, we’ll continue to Build Better and work towards a stronger, more resilient future for our industry.
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