News Release Page Title

29 April 2004

LATEST NORTHERN IRELAND HOUSING BULLETIN IS PUBLISHED

The Northern Ireland Housing Bulletin, including sales of new houses and apartments during the period October to December 2003, was published by the Department for Social Development today.

Some of its key findings with year-on comparisons include:

  • The average selling price of NHBC-registered new houses sold during the quarter was £109,000, an increase of £10,000 (10.1%) on the same quarter in 2002.
  • The average selling price of NHBC-registered new houses ranged from £73,900 in Strabane District Council to £179,200 in North Down District Council according to provisional figures.
  • The average intended selling price of NHBC-registered flats and maisonettes was £100,000, £4,000 (4.2%) higher than the quarter ending December 2002.
  • 535 actions for mortgage possession were recorded, an increase of 65.1% on the same period in 2002.
  • Detached houses represented 35% of all NHBC intended housing starts. The total number of NHBC starts recorded for this quarter (2,033) represented a decrease of 16.9% on the same quarter in 2002.
  • Of the new dwellings actually started, 96.5% (2,692) were commissioned by the private sector. Total number of starts increased from 2,095 for the quarter ending December 2002, to 2,790 for the quarter ending December 2003.
  • Belfast was the district council with the greatest number of new housing starts, namely 188. This represents an increase of 58.0% on the same period last year.
  • A total of 3,507 households presented as homeless to the Housing Executive with ‘Sharing Breakdown or Family Dispute’ being the most common reason cited.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

  1. The Northern Ireland Housing Bulletin is produced each quarter by the Statistics and Research Branch of the Department for Social Development. It contains information on new house sales and prices, actions for mortgage possession and new housing starts. Provisional and revised figures are indicated by (P) and (R) respectively.

  2. Data for new house sales and price are derived from transactions for new private sector and Housing Associations dwellings notified by solicitors to the National House Building Council (NHBC), Buildmark House, Chiltern Avenue, Amersham, Bucks, HP6 5AP,Tel: 0870 241 4302,www.nhbc.co.uk

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  3. Details of housing starts for the private sector are supplied by Building Control Offices, district councils and for the social rented sector by NIHE and the Housing Associations Branch of the Department for Social Development.

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  4. For the purposes of this bulletin, the terms ‘house’ and ‘dwelling’ are interchangeable and can be defined as ‘a self-contained unit of accommodation, having all amenities available to each household (own kitchen, bathroom, toilet) regardless of shared entrance.’ A ‘house’ or ‘dwelling’ will, therefore, comprise ‘either one self-contained household space or a number of non self-contained household spaces’.

  5. The bulletin is available on the Department for Social Development’s website at http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/statistics-research/introduction.asp Hard copies are available from the Statistics & Research Branch, Department for Social Development, The Village, Stormont, Belfast, BT4 3SJ; Telephone - (028) 9052 2767; E-mail ann.trew@dsdni.gov.uk

  6. The next edition of the bulletin will be published in July 2004.

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