Three types of housing boosted the number of home consents in June
The number of new homes consented has skyrocketed in June, only a few months after the COVID-19 lockdown, according to Statistics New Zealand.
The latest data by Stats NZ revealed 3,477 new homes consented in June, a 20% increase compared to the same month last year.
The rise was boosted by 1,071 new townhouses, flats, and units consented – the first time that over 1,000 of these types of housing had been consented in a month since the series began in April 1990.
“Townhouses, flats, and units accounted for around 28% of all new homes consented in the June 2020 quarter, reflecting greater density in some of our cities like Auckland,” said Dave Adair, the acting construction indicators manager at Stats NZ.
Read more: Home consents bounce back post lockdown
The record also brought the number of new homes consented in the June 2020 quarter to 9,213 – with 2,620 comprising townhouses, flats, and units.
“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,” 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,” Adair concluded.
