Annual Housing Statistics 2023-24
jk
2023-04-21
2023-24
An Accredited
Official Statistics publication
Published
by: Analytics Division, Department for Communities
Frequency: Annual
Publication Date:25th September 2024
Key Points
The total housing stock as of April 2024 is 835,988.
The Affordable Warmth Scheme improved 2,746 homes in 2023-24.
On 31 March 2024, there were 47,312 applicants on the social housing waiting list. Of these applicants, 35,464 were in housing stress.
In 2023-24, 11,537 households were accepted as statutorily homeless.
In the private rented sector the average weekly rent was £133, while in the social rented sector the average weekly rent was £89.
In Quarter 2 of 2024, the House Price Index stands at 166.8, a 6.4% increase on the same quarter in 2023. (HPI reference period: Q1 2015 = 100). The standardised house price for this quarter is £185,025.
Introduction
This annual compendium of statistics contains information on a range of areas relating to housing. The report is divided into sections covering: supply; energy; social renting demand; private renting demand; owner occupier demand and household characteristics. In this summary document you will find quick and concise coverage of each of these topics. More in depth statistics and information on methodology can be found in the accompanying tables and appendix documents at:
https://www.communities-ni.gov.uk/publications/northern-ireland-housing-statistics-2023-24
Analytics Division (AD) receives data for this report from a number of data providers. AD carries out a number of validation checks to quality assure all data received, however, responsibility for accuracy of the data supplied lies primarily with the source.
The Northern Ireland Housing Statistics 2023-24 is the second edition to be released in html format, however, this continues to reflect the updated format introduced in 2016-17.
These accredited official statistics were independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation in February 2019. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics and should be labelled National Statistics (or ‘accredited official statistics’). Accredited official statistics are called National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. Please see: Accredited official statistics - Office for Statistics Regulation
This report presents figures for the period April 2023-March 2024.
Lead Statisticians: Connie Callaghan, Katie McFadden
Section 1: Supply
This section provides a wide range of information relating to housing supply. Detailed data on housing stock, tenure, new dwelling starts and completions, volume of construction, and planning applications and decisions can be found in the accompanying tables.
Household tenure 2022-23
Based on the 2022-23 Family Resources Survey, dwellings that were owned outright and dwellings that were owned with a mortgage accounted for 70% of households (42% and 28% respectively).
In the same period, 18% of households were privately rented and 13% were social rented.
Key housing supply figures
The total housing stock as of April 2024 is 835,988, an increase of just under 1% when compared with 2023 (828,829).
The average household size in 2022-23 was 2.5.
The total housing stock per 1,000 population in 2023-24 is equal to 432.
Building control starts and completions 2023-24
Note: This publication reports on two different measures of social housing: Building Control and SHDP. These figures often differ from each other but this is not due to error. The same social housing units are recorded by both data providers, the difference lies in when they are recorded. For more information see Appendix - Section One.
There were 5,995 new dwelling starts in 2023-24, a decrease of just under 1% on 2022-23. Almost nine in every ten dwelling starts (5,289) were in the private sector, with the remaining (706) being in the social sector.
There were 5,415 new dwelling completions in 2023-24, a 15 % decrease on 2022-23. Similar to housing starts, almost nine in every ten dwelling completions (4,815) were in the private sector, with the remaining tenth (600) in the social sector.
Residential planning decisions granted 2023-24
Map based on Planning DFI data and developed by Analytics Division, DfC. Copyright: Crown Copyright and database rights MOU209
Of the 6,156 planning decisions made in 2023-24, 95% were granted (5,848).
The highest proportions of residential planning decisions granted related to urban extensions and alterations (99%) and rural extensions and alterations (98%).
Newry, Mourne and Down received the greatest number of residential planning applications during 2023-24 (927). However, it has one of the lower proportions of decisions granted (92%), with only Antrim & Newtownabbey (88%) and Lisburn & Castlereagh (90%) being lower.
Section 2: Energy
This section provides information relating to domestic energy. Detailed data on household fuel type, energy efficiency, Warm Home Scheme and Boiler Replacement Scheme can be found in the accompanying tables.
Central heating by fuel type 2016
Information on central heating is taken from the House Condition Survey (HCS), the most recent of which is the 2016 edition, which defines central heating as a heating system with a distribution system sufficient to provide heat in at least two rooms.
The percentage of homes with central heating has risen from 95% in 2001 to 99% in 2016.
While gas has seen the largest increase in installations in this time frame, accounting for 24% of heating systems in 2016, the majority of homes still had oil central heating (67% of heating systems).
Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) ratings 2016
SAP is the Government’s recommended system for home energy ratings as it allows comparisons of energy efficiency. The SAP rating is expressed as a logarithmic scale, which normally runs from 1 (very inefficient) to 100 (no energy costs).
In 2016, social housing (NIHE and housing associations) had the highest SAP rating of all tenures at 72.63.
The private rented sector and owner occupied dwellings had ratings of 65.33 and 65.11 respectively.
Affordable Warmth Scheme 2023-24
The Affordable Warmth Scheme, introduced in September 2014, is targeted at fuel poor households in the private sector.
In 2023-24, there were a total of 2,675 approvals issued.
Improvements were made to 2,746 homes at a cost of £14.4 million.
Boiler Replacement Scheme 2022-23
The Boiler Replacement Scheme was a DfC scheme, administered by the Housing Executive. The scheme provided owner occupiers, whose gross annual income was less than £40,000, with help for the cost of replacing boilers over 15 years old. The scheme ended with effect from 21 September 2023.
Between 2012-13 and 2023-24, 49,045 grants were approved totalling £28.5 million. This equates to an average of £581.10 per household.
Of these 42,169 replacements have been completed.
Section 4: Private renting demand
This section provides information relating to private renting demand. Detailed data on average rent and length of time of residence for private renters can be found in the accompanying tables. Estimates in this section are taken from the Family Resources Survey (FRS). The survey has been carried out in Northern Ireland since 2002-03, while it has been running in Great Britain since 1992.
Average weekly rent
The estimated average (median) rent per week for the private rented sector in Northern Ireland in 2022-23 was £133, £35 below the UK average (£168) and lower than England (£182). However, the rent in Northern Ireland was higher than in Scotland (£115) and Wales (£127).
For comparison, the estimated average (median) rent per week for the social rented sector in Northern Ireland in 2022-23 was £89, £8 lower than the UK average (£97) and £44 lower than that of the private rented sector.
Time in residence
In 2022-23, almost a fifth (16%) of private renters in Northern Ireland had resided in their accommodation for less than 12 months, a lower proportion than for the UK as a whole (22%).
The proportion of private renters in Northern Ireland residing at their current address for five years or more was higher than for the UK as a whole (41% and 31%, respectively).
Section 5: Owner occupier demand
This section provides information relating to owner occupied housing. Detailed data on the Northern Ireland House Price Index, National House Building Council (NHBC) new house sales and prices, the Northern Ireland Co-Ownership Housing Scheme, mortgages and mortgage possessions can be found in the accompanying tables.
House Price Index - Quarter 2: April - June 2024
The NI House Price Index has been designed and produced by Land and Property Services to provide a measure of change in the price of a standardised residential property sold in Northern Ireland. The index uses information on all verified residential property sales as recorded by Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC). The reference base period is Quarter 1 2015 and the index is set to 100 for that period. Results for the most recent quarter are provisional and subject to revision.
The NI HPI stands at 166.8 in the second quarter of 2024, which is equal to a standardised price of £185,025. The overall index showed an increase of 3.6% compared with the previous quarter in 2024, and an increase of 6.4% on the same quarter in 2023.
Verified residential property sales are defined as sales recorded by HMRC which could be matched to a domestic property in the NI Valuation List. In Quarter 2 2024 there were 5,064 verified residential property sales. This was a decrease of 3.0% on the same quarter of 2023.
NHBC new dwelling sales and prices 2023-24
Data for new house sales and prices are derived from information provided by solicitors to the National House Building Council (NHBC). NHBC’s primary purpose is to help raise standards to protect homeowners. NHBC is an independent non-profit distributing company, reinvesting all resources in further research and work to improve the construction standard of new UK houses for the benefit of homeowners.
The average price of NHBC-registered new houses reached a new peak in 2023-24, with an annual price of £247,300, an increase of almost 7% on 2022-23. (Note that the monetary amounts for individual years have not been adjusted to account for inflation.)
From a peak of 7,005 sales in 2004-05, the number of NHBC new house sales showed a general decline to 1,142 sales in 2013-14. From 2014-15 until 2018-19, the general trend in the number of sales reversed slightly, reaching 1,613 in 2018-19. Since 2019-20, the number of new house sales have generally decreased. The number of sales recorded for 2023-24 was 1,078, a decrease of 15% from the previous year (1,270).
First time buyers: Lending and affordability
The mean age of first-time buyers in 2023 was 33 years, showing a very gradual increase since 2010 (29 years). The mean income for first-time buyers in 2023 was £47,901.
The number of loans granted to first time buyers rose year-on-year, from 2,900 in 2008 to 10,800 in 2019. However, these numbers have fluctuated since. In 2023, 8,200 loans were granted to first time buyers, a 23% decrease from 2022 (10,600).
During the same fifteenth year period, the mean percentage advance for first-time buyers generally increased from 70% (2008) to 77% (2023), with a small amount of fluctuation in the intervening years.
The mean capital and interest payments as a percentage of income for first time buyers was 28.9% in 2008. This percentage for first-time buyers had generally fallen over the years to 2020 (15%) but has risen again the last three years to 19% in 2023.
Section 6: Household characteristics
This section provides information relating to a range of household characteristics. Detailed data on household projections, household type, tenure and household income and expenditure can be found in the accompanying tables.
Household income by tenure
Results from the 2022-23 Family Resources Survey show that households with the highest housing costs were in private rented sector, at £131 per week. This compares to estimates of £91 in the social rented sector and £48 for those buying with a mortgage.
Those buying with a mortgage had the highest estimated average weekly household income of £1,340, followed by those who owned outright (£866) and private renters (£764). The social rented sector had the lowest estimated average weekly income of £497.
Satisfaction with home, 2023-24
Overall, 92% of adults were satisfied with their home (house/apartment or flat).
Adults living in the least deprived areas were more likely to be satisfied with their home (96%) than those living in more deprived areas (87%).
In addition, adults without a disability were more likely to be satisfied with their home (94%) than adults who have a disability (89%).
Estimated weekly household expenditure
Note: For a full list of what ‘average spend’ encompasses, refer to Table 6.7 and Appendix - Section six.
- In 2022-23, 8% of households in Northern Ireland had housing costs which were more than 30% of their weekly household income. This proportion increases to 13% if they do not fully own their own house.
Average rates bill 2023-24
Map based on DoF data and developed by Analytics Division, DfC. Crown Copyright and database rights MOU209.
Average Rates Bill by LGD 2023-24
Rates are a property tax based on the valuation of homes in Northern Ireland. The income from rates provides funding for services at both local (council) and regional (NI Assembly) levels.
In 2023-24 the average rates bill was £1,122.
The highest average bill payable was in Ards and North Down (£1,269) and the lowest was in Belfast (£1,001).
Notes
Symbols and conventions
The following symbols are used throughout the publication:
.. Not available
-: None
** Negligible
P Provisional
R Revised
N/A Not applicable
1. Changes for this release
N/A
2. Previous release changes
Due to a change in data collection methodology the information provided to Analytics Division by DfC Housing Regulation and Inspection Branch, for the purpose of producing Table 3.3b, can no longer be analysed to produce figures for average weekly rent and annual collectible rent which are comparable to those published up to and including the year 2015-16. These figures have therefore been included in the report as a historical table, to which further upates have been discontinued.
Table 3.3c ‘Housing Associations: Average weekly rent’ is a new series of the data provided to PSU by DfC Housing Regulation Branch. Housing Regulation Branch within the Department for Communities (DfC) collects information on social housing stock owned by housing associations registered with DfC. This information is used to produce Table 3.3c (and previously 3.3a and 3.3b).
Table 3.12 ‘Households accepted as homeless by household type’: An additional table reporting on all households accepted as homeless in Northern Ireland between 2018-19 and 2021-22, by household type, is included. Data are recorded by the Housing Executive in its Housing Management System (HMS).
Table 6.7, ‘Difference from bedroom standard by tenure’ has been discontinued as the data provider no longer uses the software (SIRXS) previously used to derive the variable ‘difference from bedroom standard’ for different tenures, and as such can no longer provide these figures.
Table 6.7 (previously 6.8), ‘Average gross weekly household income and expenditure by UK region, financial year ending March 2016 to financial year ending March 2018’ has been published with the following footnote to reflect a change in methodology in the calculation of the variable ‘average gross weekly household income’: ‘Figures for ’average gross weekly household income’ are not directly comparable to data published within this report in previous years. This is due to a change in methodology. Data for the financial year ending 2018 are based on person-level analysis, while years previous are based on household-level’. Furthermore, income data can no longer be provided as the Living Costs and Food Survey can no longer produce income estimates data to international standards.
Table 6.7 and 6.8 (previously Tables 6.8 and 6.9): In addition, the following footnote, identifying an error in the Living Cost and Food (LCF) Survey, has also been added to Tables 6.7 and 6.8: An error has been identified in the Living Cost and Food (LCF) Survey which has been found to impact the Family spending in the UK: April 2017 to March 2018 release. This affects, to a small degree, most estimates of average expenditure. The overall impact is that average weekly household expenditure in the UK is underestimated by around 0.5%, while the interpretation of the statistics remains the same.
Table 6.13 (previously 6.12) ‘Satisfaction with house/apartment/flat’ is an additional table which reports the results from the Continuous Household Survey. It reports on satisfaction with house/apartment/flat based on gender, age, religious background, marital status, disability, dependants, level of deprivation, and whether you live in a urban or rural environment.
Table 6.12 ‘Percentage of Households where Weekly Housing Costs Account for 30% or More of Weekly Household Income’ is an additional table with new statistics that provides information from the Family Resources Survey (FRS).
3. User engagement
Northern Ireland Housing Statistics:
User feedback is welcome so we would like to encourage your participation in our user engagement survey, and thank you in advance.
4. Accredited Official Statistics
Accredited Official Statistics are official statistics that have been independently reviewed by Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) and confirmed to comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics. Producers of accredited official statistics are legally required to ensure they maintain compliance with the Code. Accredited official statistics are called National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007.
These accredited official statistics were independently reviewed in 2012 as part of the assessment of Statistics on Housing and Benefits in Northern Ireland, with accreditation confirmed in July 2013. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice and should be labelled National Statistics (or ‘accredited official statistics’). In February 2019, a compliance check confirmed that the designation (or accredited official statistics labelling) should continue.
Our statistical practice is regulated by OSR. They set the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to. You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.
Since the latest review by the Office for Statistics Regulation, the following improvements have been made in order to continue to comply with the Code of Practice for Statistics:
Accessibility: Accessibility has been enhanced through additional signposting, clear labelling of appendices and provision hyperlinks to supporting information. Data has also been made available in Open Source format.
QAAD: In order to introduce greater clarification within the associated Quality Assurance of Administrative Data (QAAD) document, AD have thoroughly reviewed processes behind data acquisition and subsequent data publication. This has resulted in the inclusion of additional detail, rationale and examples, in regard to data provision, checking and validation; ultimately allowing for better justification of assurance levels.
It is the Department for Communities’ responsibility to maintain compliance with the standards expected of Accredited Official Statistics. If we become concerned about whether these statistics are still meeting the appropriate standards, we will discuss any concerns with the Authority promptly. Accredited Official Statistics status can be removed at any point when the highest standards are not maintained, and reinstated when standards are restored.
Social Housing Development Programme 2023-24
The Social Housing Development Programme (SHDP), managed by NIHE, provides grant funding to housing associations so that they can build or acquire new social housing.
Since 2010-11, 20,000 social houses have been completed through this scheme. Of these, 97% were self-contained and 3% were shared.
In 2023-24, there were 1,508 SHDP starts, a 23% decrease on 2022-23 (1,956).
In the same period, there were 1,403 SHDP completions, a 3% decrease on 2022-23 (1,449).