Fermanagh - Northern Ireland Housing Executive

Census 2011 reports 96.1% of the population of Fermanagh was born in the UK and
the Republic of Ireland, 2.7% in other EU countries and 1.2% in countries outside the
EU.
The local economy has been adversely affected by the recession. Figures from
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) show that 5.1% (2,073) of the
working age population of Fermanagh were claiming unemployment related
benefits at March 2013, an increase of 3.4% over the year.
At March 2013, 1,659 Housing Executive tenants were claiming housing benefit in the
district, a minor decrease of 0.2% since March 2012.
The Northern Ireland Construction Bulletin, October
2012, notes that outputs last year were
approximately 40% lower than peak outputs in
2007. Job and self-employment opportunities in
the sector have fallen considerably; the number of
unemployment benefit claimants across Northern
Ireland from the construction sector has more than
doubled since 2007.
2.3 Housing market profile
Fermanagh District forms part of the Fermanagh Housing
Market Area (see Map 1). The housing market analysis
identifies a number of housing issues which present
significant challenges in the current economic climate.
These include:
• Difficulty in accessing mortgage finance;
• Potential for growth in the intermediate housing sector;
• Ongoing requirement for investment in, and regulation
of, the private rented sector;
• Homelessness;
• Fuel poverty;
• Low but rising unfitness levels;
• The need for additional social housing in some locations.
According to Census 2011, the housing stock in Fermanagh comprises 23,069
households with tenure composed as follows:
• Owner occupation is the most popular tenure and at 72.7% it is considerably
higher than the Northern Ireland figure of 67.5%;
• The private rented sector houses 14.6% of households (Northern Ireland 15.1%).
Lending restrictions limiting access to owner occupation have contributed to the
growth of the private rented sector;
17