Raising standards to protect homeowners
Glimmer of Hope for New Homes Market in NI
The Northern Ireland housing market is beginning to improve, with a rise in applications over the last three months, according to NHBC.
Applications to build new homes for the three months ending July 2009 reveal that NHBC received 1,041 applications in Northern Ireland, a 36 per cent increase on the same period last year (763).
The figures also show that registrations during July alone were 71 per cent higher than July 2008, yet the number of new homes completed during the month was still 18 per cent lower than a year ago, showing that the market has some way to go.
David Little, NHBC Director for Northern Ireland, said: "This month's figures indicate that the market in Northern Ireland is beginning to stabilise, albeit from a very low base. Certainly the picture in Northern Ireland supports the suggestion that things are beginning to improve for the industry UK-wide."
NHBC statistics for Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man for the three months to the end of July 2009 also revealed:
- Of the 1,053 applications to start new homes in the combined private and public sectors during the three months to the end of July, 919 were related to private sector activity (i.e. excluding housing associations) - 9 per cent higher than the same three-month period a year ago (844).
- New build completions in the combined private and public sectors in Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man totalled 1,268 in the three months to the end of July 2009 - 19 per cent lower than the same period a year ago (1,556).
NHBC publishes a quarterly booklet of its new house-building statistics - to subscribe visit www.nhbc.co.uk
Ends
Note to editors:
(i) Full breakdown of new homes registered in Northern Ireland and Isle of Man by county from May to July 2009:
County |
May to July 2009 |
May to July 2008 |
Percentage Increase / (-) Decrease |
Antrim |
316 |
179 |
77% |
Armagh |
101 |
95 |
6% |
Down |
386 |
331 |
17% |
Fermanagh |
59 |
32 |
84% |
Londonderry |
115 |
83 |
39% |
Tyrone |
64 |
43 |
49% |
Isle of Man |
12 |
81 |
-85% |
Total for Northern Ireland and Isle of Man |
1,053 |
844 |
25% |
NHBC is the leading warranty and insurance provider for new homes in the UK. It was established more than 73 years ago as a non-profit distributing company. NHBC's primary purpose is to help raise standards to protect homeowners. NHBC's ten-year 'Buildmark' warranty covers more than 80% of new homes built in the UK and currently protects approximately 1.6 million homes.
News Date: 28/08/09