Busiest few months for house building since 2018

Northern Ireland has a chronic housing shortage with about 48,000 households on the social housing waiting list

Work started on more than 2,000 new houses in Northern Ireland in the second quarter of 2025, making it the busiest quarter for house building since early 2018.

Northern Ireland has a chronic housing shortage, with about 48,000 households on the social housing waiting list.

Part of the problem has been a widening gap between housing demand and the rate of construction.

Since the pandemic there have now only been two quarters in which work has started on more than 2,000 homes.

It remains to be seen whether the improved performance in the second quarter of the year can be sustained.

In the mid-2000s more than 3,000 homes were being started every quarter before a house price crash saw the rate of construction fall sharply.

In 2024 Stormont's Department for Communities launched a housing supply strategy aimed mainly at increasing the supply of social housing.

Meanwhile, other official figures show house prices in Northern Ireland continued to increase in the second quarter of this year.

Where's the biggest price rise?

On a quarterly basis the average price was up by 0.3% and on an annual basis by 5.5% which brought it to just over £185,000.

All council areas saw prices increase over the year but it was a mixed picture over the quarter with five of twelve council areas seeing price falls.

On an annual basis the biggest average increase was 8% in Mid Ulster while the lowest was 1.2% in Newry, Mourne & Down.

The highest average price was just over £219,000 in Lisburn & Castlereagh while the lowest was £164,000 in Mid and East Antrim.