Konsileo - Robert Smith

28/05/2026

Rising Insolvencies in 2026: Why Credit Insurance Matters!

UK business insolvencies remain at elevated levels in 2026 as companies continue to face rising costs, tighter cash flow, and economic uncertainty.
According to the UK Insolvency Service, there were 2,085 company insolvencies in England and Wales in April 2026, up 3% year-on-year. Over the past 12 months, one in every 193 UK companies entered insolvency.
Sectors including construction, retail, hospitality, and real estate continue to experience significant financial pressure, driven by:
- Higher borrowing costs
- Increased wage and National Insurance expenses
- Ongoing inflation
- Reduced consumer confidence

For many businesses, the biggest risk is no longer winning work, it is getting paid for it!
When a customer becomes insolvent, unpaid invoices can quickly create serious cash flow problems, even for profitable businesses. This is where trade credit insurance becomes increasingly valuable.

How Credit Insurance Helps;
- Protects businesses against customer non-payment and insolvency
- Safeguards cash flow and profitability
- Provides ongoing monitoring of customer financial health
- Supports safer growth by allowing businesses to trade with confidence
- Can improve access to finance by protecting receivables

With insolvency levels still significantly higher than pre-pandemic norms, businesses that actively manage credit risk will be in a far stronger position to protect both growth and stability throughout 2026.

Speak to your clients today, we at Konsileo have solutions that can help protect their businesses from bad debts, safeguard cash flow, and provide greater confidence when trading in uncertain market conditions.

27/05/2026

👀 Konsileo have only gone and won another award....

🏆 The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2026 (medium sized organisation).

www.konsileo.com

14/05/2026

Yesterday I took some time away from the desk to visit UK Construction Week at ExCel, London.

Always good to see how the industry continues to evolve, with a focus on modern methods of construction, sustainability and risk management.

Great conversations throughout the day, catching up with existing contacts and making some new ones along the way too.

UKCW joining alongside Futurebuild certainly made for one of the biggest built environment events around… and definitely a lot of steps covered 👀

Safe to say the refreshments were well earned afterwards! 🍻

15/04/2026

💡 Self-Building Your Dream Home? Don’t Leave Money on the Table.

Building your own home is exciting - but costs can quickly add up. With most materials and many services charged at 20% VAT, reclaiming what you're entitled to could save you thousands.

The good news? If you're constructing a new home or converting a building into a residential dwelling, you may be eligible to claim back VAT through HMRC’s DIY Housebuilder Scheme.

Here’s what you need to know:

You may qualify if you:
✔️ Build a new home or convert a non-residential property into a dwelling
✔️ Have valid residential planning permission
✔️ Intend to live in the property yourself or with family
✔️ Can provide proof of completion

Projects that don’t qualify:
❌ Extensions, loft conversions, and refurbishments
❌ Repairs, maintenance, or general home improvements
❌ Appliances and soft furnishings not built into the property

Key things to remember:
📅 Submit your claim within 6 months of completion
📄 Keep accurate VAT invoices and documentation
🚫 Only one claim is permitted per project

🚧 Common pitfalls to avoid:
• Missing deadlines
• Incorrect VAT charges from contractors
• Incomplete paperwork
• Misunderstanding qualifying materials

With the right preparation, you could reclaim thousands and keep your self-build budget on track.

👀 Planning a self-build?
👉 Get in touch to ensure you have Site Insurance and a Self-Build Structural Warranty in place.

25/03/2026

Big changes are coming to UK homes ⚡🏡

From 2028, all new homes in England will:
🔌 Ditch gas completely
🌡️ Use heat pumps or heat networks
☀️ Have solar panels built in (covering up to 40% of the footprint)

And it doesn’t stop there…

Plug-in solar panels - designed for balconies and small spaces could soon hit UK shelves. Already a huge success across Europe, these could make solar accessible to millions more people.

So what does this mean?
💸 Lower energy bills over time
🌍 Less reliance on fossil fuels
🔋 A big push toward cleaner, smarter homes
📈 Huge growth for the green tech sector

It’s not without challenges - developers are raising concerns about costs and practicality, but the direction is clear: the future of housing is electric, efficient, and increasingly self-powered.

The shift is happening. The only question is how fast we can keep up.

12/03/2026

When investing in major works an Insurance Backed Guarantee (IBG) gives customers an extra layer of confidence when choosing a contractor.

If the installer ceases trading during the guarantee period, the insurance policy can cover the cost of rectifying valid claims - providing real peace of mind long after the work is completed.

For businesses, offering an IBG demonstrates professionalism, accountability, and a commitment to standing behind your work while protecting your customers.

In a market where trust matters, that reassurance can make all the difference. If you need an IBG, you know where to call!

25/02/2026

🏗️ More housing plans submitted - but fewer approved.

The latest Cobalt Development Index shows something worrying:
📈 Planning applications are up 6%
📉 Planning approvals are down 11%

At the same time, the Government has pledged to deliver 1.5 million new homes by 2029.

Under the National Planning Policy Framework, most planning decisions should take 8–13 weeks. In reality, many are taking far longer due to council backlogs and resource shortages.

For larger developments, the Gateway 2 safety review under the Building Safety Act 2022 is adding an average of 26 weeks to some projects.
Safety is essential - but delays at this stage are slowing the entire housing pipeline.

The Home Builders Federation says approvals must rise by 53% to hit the annual target of 370,000 homes.

For buyers, renovators, small builders and developers, this creates uncertainty, rising costs, and longer waits before projects can even begin.

If planning delays aren’t addressed, meeting the 1.5 million target will be a serious challenge.

Are you experiencing longer planning timelines at the moment?

17/02/2026

👁️‍🗨️ The cheapest time to arrange a Structural Building Warranty is before you start on site.

Not halfway through the groundworks.
Not when the lender asks for confirmation.
Not when completion is looming.

Early engagement gives warranty underwriters time to properly assess the project and supporting documentation - rather than surveyors rushing inspections and raising avoidable queries under pressure.

It also:
• Identifies risk before it becomes cost
• Prevents delays caused by missing technical information
• Avoids unnecessary fast-track fees
• Secures lender acceptance from the outset

A Building Warranty shouldn’t be treated as a last-minute compliance exercise.
It should form part of the project strategy.
I’ve seen projects delayed by weeks simply because documentation wasn’t reviewed early enough - or because a warranty was arranged in a rush once works had already commenced.

Delays create pressure.
Pressure creates cost.
Early planning avoids both.

👉 If it’s useful to discuss an upcoming project, I’m always happy to have a conversation.

💻 [email protected]
📞 01223 606344

09/02/2026

In case you didn't know, today is National Pizza Day......

You just gotta love a slice of pizza - what's your favourite topping?? (pepperoni for me!).

👀 The most expensive pizza in the world costs a massive $12,000 to order. This is sold in Italy, made by Renato Viola and just the dough takes 72 hours to make. It features some of the most lavish ingredients (as would be expected for that price tag), such as grains of pink Australian sea-salt from the Murray River, lobster from Norway, and even three different types of caviar.

04/02/2026

📊 UK house building shows signs of recovery – but challenges remain

New figures from the National House Building Council (NHBC) reveal that 115,350 new homes were registered to be built in 2025, an 11% increase on 2024. It’s an encouraging signal for the sector, even if volumes are still below long-term averages.

🏗️ What’s driving the growth?
- Private sector registrations rose 12% to 75,227
- Rental and affordable housing increased 10% to 40,123
However, NHBC’s Corporate Strategy Director Daniel Pearce cautions that fragile consumer confidence, affordability pressures and wider economic uncertainty are still weighing on demand.

⚠️ Quality must keep pace with quantity
NHBC data shows a long-running trend: as completions rise, customer satisfaction with build quality falls. As the industry gears up to deliver more homes, breaking this pattern will be critical.

📍 Regional picture
- Growth across every UK region except London
- West Midlands (+29%) and Eastern region (+24%) led the way
- London registrations fell 27%, impacted by delays at the Building Safety Regulator and reduced affordable housing delivery

🏢 Apartments lag behind
All house types saw growth in 2025 except apartments (-2%), reflecting regulatory hurdles, scheme viability issues and ongoing affordability challenges in the capital.

📉 Completions still slipping
Despite higher registrations, new home completions fell 2% to 122,012 - a reminder of the scale of the challenge if the government is to meet its 1.5 million homes target.

🔑 What’s needed next?
Accelerated planning reform, action on skills shortages, and crucially, solutions to affordability constraints that continue to suppress demand.
Encouraging momentum, but there’s still a long way to go...

23/01/2026

☀️🔋 Up to £12,000 of solar panels & home batteries - fully funded for eligible UK households

With energy bills continuing to rise, many families across Britain are struggling to keep their homes warm while managing increasing costs.

The government’s new Warm Homes Plan could offer a real lifeline. Eligible low-income households may now receive fully funded solar panels and home battery storage worth up to £12,000, as part of the UK’s largest clean energy home upgrade programme to date.

For those who don’t qualify for full funding, the scheme also provides low and zero-interest loans, making it easier for more households to invest in solar, reduce energy bills and switch to cleaner, more efficient energy sources.

Who may qualify?
The plan includes a £5 billion targeted fund for low-income and fuel-poor households. Eligibility is typically based on:
• Household income (often around £36,000 or less)
• Receipt of means-tested benefits (e.g. Universal Credit)
• Property and energy performance criteria (such as EPC ratings)

How to apply:
Applications are handled through local councils via online portals or postcode eligibility tools. If eligible, homeowners receive a free home energy survey, followed by installation from certified installers - with no upfront cost.

Beyond solar:
Even if you don’t qualify for full funding, support is still available through:
• Government-backed low/zero-interest loans for solar, batteries and heat pumps
• The Boiler Upgrade Scheme - offering £7,500 off heat pump installations
• From early 2026, all new homes in England will include solar panels as standard under the Future Homes Standard

Industry leaders have described this as the start of a “nationwide rooftop revolution.”

A major step forward for household energy resilience, affordability and the UK’s clean energy transition.



Read the full storey, c/o Mullane News editor of Homebuilding & Renovating:

Free and affordable solar panels, batteries and home upgrades are now available to help UK families save on energy bills and adopt cleaner energy