New townhouse consents set record in May

A record number of new townhouses, flats, and units were consented in May 2021, Stats NZ said today.

In May 2021, 1,380 new townhouses, flats, and units were consented, the highest monthly number since records began in 1990.

In total there were 4,180 new homes of all types consented in the month.

"Consents for multi-unit homes, including townhouses, apartments, and flats, have increased steadily over recent years. However, new stand-alone houses still account for over half of all new homes consented nationally," construction statistics manager Michael Heslop said.

Multi-unit homes are all types of new homes except stand-alone houses, that is, townhouses, flats, and units; apartments; and retirement village units.

In the year ended May 2021, 43,466 new homes were consented, the highest annual number on record. The number of new homes consented in the latest year was up 17 percent compared with the May 2020 year. The national total includes a 28 percent rise in Auckland, to 18,565 new homes consented in the year ended May 2021.

The year ended May 2020 included the COVID-19 level 4 lockdown period in late March and April 2020, which disrupted consent issuance across many councils.

"The number of new homes consented rose 17 percent in the year ended May 2021, boosted by a 49 percent rise in townhouses, flats, and units," Mr Heslop said.

"Annual new home consents have been generally increasing for almost a decade, since mid-2011."

The number of new homes consented per 1,000 residents was 8.5 for the year ended May 2021, the highest level in recent years, and up from 7.3 in the May 2020 year. The record number of new homes consented per 1,000 residents was 13.4 in the year ended December 1973.

"The nature of homes has changed since the 1970s, including a shift towards building bigger houses in recent decades," Mr Heslop said.

See Number of new homes consented per 1000 residents increases for more information.