NI housing unfitness levels at record low

Figures from the House Condition Survey (HCS) 2016 preliminary report reveal that 2% of the 740,000 homes in the region are deemed unfit for occupation by surveyors.

That is the lowest level recorded since surveys began in 1974 – when the rate of unfitness was 20% – and down from the previous low of 2.4% in 2009.

Clark Bailie, chief executive of the NIHE, said: “This highlights the importance of intervention in terms of grants, measures to tackle fuel poverty and investment in maintenance and repairs.    

“Since it was formed, the Housing Executive has played a major role in tackling unfitness in both the private and social sector.”

The NIHE has attributed the reduction in housing unfitness to a drop in empty homes across Northern Ireland, with vacancy rates decreasing from 40,300 in 2006 to less than 27,000 in 2016.

The proportion of vacant homes recorded as unfit in the last survey was 29.6%, compared to an average of 1% across occupied housing.

Of the 15,130 unfit homes counted in the region, 12,110 are in the privately owned sector and 3,020 are in the private rented sector, while unfitness levels among social housing are negligible.

Mr Bailie added: “It is also pleasing to see the low levels of vacancies in the social sector, given the high housing need across Northern Ireland.”

The HCS is carried out by a team of surveyors who use 11 indicators, including structural stability, lighting, heating and water supply, to identify whether a home is unfit for habitation.

It is typically conducted every five years as part of the NIHE’s statutory responsibility to regularly examine housing conditions and need. The full report will appear in early 2018.

“We are pleased to see that unfitness levels are at an all-time low – virtually non-existent in social housing stock, although this is not entirely unexpected,” said Nicola McCrudden, director of the Chartered Institute of Housing Northern Ireland. “We would welcome a new fitness standard that links housing to better health outcomes.”