BenchmarklyAll benchmarks

Builder companies in the Portsmouth area

873 builder companies have a registered office in the Portsmouth area (PO postcodes), and 211 of them were formed in 2025 or 2026. In their latest accounts, the typical one held £9,312 in cash and owed £36,342 at year end.

Companies House register, 1 September 2026, and accounts filed in the last twelve months. Compared with the official category “Construction of domestic buildings” (SIC 41202). Covers companies with a registered office in PO postcodes, including Portsmouth, Chichester, Isle Of Wight.

The numbers

Builder companies in the Portsmouth area (PO postcodes) compared with the same category across the UK. Typical figures are medians.
MeasurePortsmouthUK
Registered companies87371,271
Formed in 2025 or 2026211 (24%)23%
Being struck off or in liquidation111 (13%)13%
Typical cash at year end£9,312212 accounts£11,355
Typical amount owed at year end£36,342455 accounts£28,652
Typical number of employees1452 accounts1

What this means if you’re starting one

Cash is tight in this trade

At year end the typical builder company in the Portsmouth area (PO postcodes) holds £9,312 in cash and owes £36,342; that cash figure is lower than 81% of UK industries.

Typical operators end the year holding less cash than they owe, so there is little slack if takings dip or a big bill lands early.

Most of these businesses are run by one or two people

The typical builder company in the Portsmouth area (PO postcodes) reports 1 employee; the top quarter has 2 or more (452 filings).

You are mostly up against owner-operators. Your own hours are likely to be your biggest cost, and the easiest one to undercount.

Most of your competition will be other newcomers

24% of the 873 builder companies in the Portsmouth area (PO postcodes) were formed in 2025–26, against 19% of all companies in the Portsmouth area (PO postcodes).

New rivals are arriving faster than in most trades, so your customers already have fresh options. Being new is not a difference on its own.

Planning a business like this in Portsmouth?

Answer two questions about your customer and what makes you different, and get a free three-week plan to test the idea before you spend real money. No account or card.

Check my idea

What these figures can’t tell you

Companies are counted where their registered office is, which may be an accountant or a home address rather than a shop. Sole traders and partnerships are not on the register, and electronically filed accounts cover roughly 60–75% of accounts filed each year. The figures describe companies that exist; they cannot prove demand for your idea or predict whether it will work. How the figures are built.

Builder in other places

Other businesses in Portsmouth

All business benchmarks in Portsmouth