New home completions slump 15 per cent but future pipeline shows resilience, says CIH Northern Ireland

Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Northern Ireland today expressed concern over the sharp drop in new home completions for the quarter July to September 2025. Critical constraints, including insufficient wastewater infrastructure capacity, are hindering delivery, even as the intention to build remains strong.

The latest statistics, published today, reveal that just 1,379 homes were completed in the last quarter, representing a 15 per cent drop compared with the same period last year. This figure sits significantly below the long-term quarterly average for completions.

Justin Cartwright, national director for CIH Northern Ireland, said the substantial year-on-year decline in dwelling completions is a “clear red flag” for Northern Ireland's immediate housing supply.

“This trend is a growing concern for both social and private housing sectors, impacting the ability of the region to meet its increasing need for safe, affordable accommodation and putting further pressure on existing supply chains and house prices,” Mr. Cartwright said.

Future pipeline: starts show resilience

In contrast to the completions slump, the statistics for new home starts over the same period offer a measure of reassurance, pointing to a pipeline of future homes.

Starts for Q3 2025 reached 1,576, representing a 3.5 per cent increase compared with the same quarter last year (Q3 2024). This growth is reinforced by the underlying trend: the four-quarter rolling average for starts shows an accelerated growth rate, rising by 9.3 per cent over the last year.

This indicates that the fundamental appetite and capacity within the building sector to initiate new projects remain strong, suggesting developers are committed to increasing output despite current capacity constraints.

Mr. Cartwright said: “The underlying resilience in starts proves that the intent and drive within the sector is there. However, we are at a critical point where positive building intentions are being systematically hampered by infrastructure failure.

“The persistent issue of wastewater capacity – alongside protracted planning processes in some council areas and high costs – is creating an unacceptable bottleneck, preventing these growing numbers of starts from being converted into much-needed completed homes. We need urgent, targeted investment in our key infrastructure to unlock our housing supply.”