Townhouses Boost Home Consents In June

The number of new homes consented in June 2020 was 3,477, around 20 percent more compared with June 2019, Stats NZ said today.

This rise was boosted by a record 1,071 new townhouses, flats, and units consented in June 2020, the first time more than 1,000 of these homes had been consented in a month since the series began in April 1990. This brought the number of new homes consented in the June 2020 quarter to 9,213, of which 2,620 were townhouses, flats, and units.

"Townhouses, flats, and units accounted for around 28 percent of all new homes consented in the June 2020 quarter, reflecting greater density in some of our cities like Auckland,” acting construction indicators manager Dave Adair said.

COVID-19 impact on building consents issued

“An initial fall in the number of new homes consented occurred in April, which was during the alert level 4 lockdown when all non-essential businesses were closed. This was followed by a high number of consents in May and June,” Mr Adair said.

“Currently there is more uncertainty around building consent numbers due to COVID-19 and its wide-ranging implications. This includes disruptions to councils and their ability to issue consents, particularly during the lockdown.

"Although many new homes are built within a year of gaining consent, the current levels of uncertainty mean we will have to wait before any changes to the actual supply of homes are noticeable, including insights into completion rates."

More information on the impact COVID-19 may have had on the construction industry will be provided by 'Value of building work put in place' results in the coming quarters. This series measures work actually completed, rather than consents which indicate an intention to build. The data may include insights into delays, cancellations, and the total value of work put in place.

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