Northern Ireland House Condition Survey 2023
The Northern Ireland House Condition Survey (NIHCS) is taking place during spring/summer 2023. Originally due to take place in 2021, the survey was postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. In May 2023, surveyors will begin calling at homes that have been selected to take part. They will carry out a physical inspection and a short interview.
About the survey
This is the thirteenth House Condition Survey to be carried out in Northern Ireland. Surveys are carried out approximately every 5 years and the information collected gives a full picture of the condition and energy efficiency of housing in Northern Ireland. Addresses are chosen at random from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) Address Register (NAR). They can be from any tenure i.e. privately owned, privately rented or socially rented through the Housing Executive or a housing association.
Information for householders who have been selected to take part in the survey
If your address has been selected to take part in the NIHCS 2023 you will receive a letter and information sheet before a surveyor calls at your home. Copies of these can be viewed by clicking the links below:
When a surveyor calls at your home they will have photographic ID. The surveyor will look at the physical characteristics of your home (inside and outside) and you will be asked some questions about your household. On average this visit will take around an hour to complete.
Any information gathered through the survey will be handled in the strictest confidence as outlined in the Code of Practice for Statistics (statisticsauthority.gov.uk) and will only be used for research purposes. For more information about how we use personal data click the link below:
Participation in the survey is voluntary. We hope that you will take part as we rely on the voluntary participation of householders to get a clear picture of housing in 2023, which will help us to shape the future of housing in Northern Ireland.
If you have any questions please call the House Condition Survey helpline on 02895 982548 (Relay UK: 18001 03448 920 900) between 10am and 4pm Monday - Friday. A Video Relay Service (VRS) is also available. More information on these services can be found on our website. Alternatively you can e-mail the NIHCS team at nihcs@nihe.gov.uk.
If you have any queries please contact the NIHCS team at:
Modelled statistics
Following the postponement of the NIHCS in 2021, we consulted with users to identify requirements for key statistics which could be modelled using data from the 2016 NIHCS.
The statistics requested by users were:
- Fuel poverty indicator: 2019 and 2020
- Energy consumption tables
- Heat loss parameter variable, and factors which influence the heat loss parameter
Fuel poverty indicator: update for users 07/03/22
In order to calculate the fuel poverty estimates, the modelling process uses a series of assumptions based on available data. Unfortunately, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the data for 2020 relating to household income, fuel prices, energy efficiency improvements and the change in household make-up (re-grouping or bubbling) were not available through external sources or datasets.
Therefore at this time, it is not possible to produce a robust fuel poverty figure for 2020. We will revisit this at a later date.
The 2019 fuel poverty estimates report was published on 22nd March 2022. Work on the remaining modelling is ongoing. We will provide further updates when publication dates have been announced.
2016 Northern Ireland House Condition Survey (HCS)
The 2016 HCS report, which was published in May 2018, presents a comprehensive overview of Northern Ireland’s dwelling stock and its occupants in 2016, including information about fuel poverty, disrepair, Decent Homes, the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP), the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), unfitness, and household profiles.
Between 2016 and 2018 the House Condition Survey was assessed by the Office for Statistics Regulation and was found to be fully compliant with the principles of the Code of Practice for Statistics. It was awarded National Statistics status in May 2018.
National Statistics status means that official statistics meet the highest standards of trustworthiness, quality and public value, and comply with all aspects of the Code of Practice for Statistics.
We welcome your feedback on the survey and related data and reports. If you have any comments or queries please contact us on
Impact of 2022 fuel prices on fuel poverty in Northern Ireland – investigative analysis
Following the publication of the fuel poverty estimates for 2020 and 2021, users of the data indicated a need for analysis of the impact of 2022 fuel prices on fuel poverty.
Although it was not possible to produce a fuel poverty estimate for 2022 due to the lack of data available for this time period, we commissioned BRE to undertake investigative analysis of the impact of 2022 fuel prices on the 2021 fuel poverty estimate.
In this report, fuel poverty has been calculated using the 2021 uplifted baseline components (as detailed in the “Estimates of fuel poverty in Northern Ireland in 2020 and 2021” report), and projecting changes to fuel prices and income, through the fuel price rises in October 2022 and Government support packages provided in 2022-23; no further uplift of household incomes or energy efficiency measures has been attempted. Therefore the fuel poverty estimates should not be regarded as 2022 estimates, instead they are 2021 estimates of fuel poverty where the impact of the October 2022 fuel prices has been explored through this investigative analysis.
Please click below to view the report: