New research confirms that there is a direct link between good housing and good health.

Based on the findings of the 2009 Northern Ireland House Condition Survey, the research shows:

• Clear evidence that improvements to housing conditions can lead directly to improvements in health; and
• Investment in housing can increase the value of the housing stock and lead to savings in public spending on health.

The findings illustrate that even minor improvements such as handrails on dangerous stairs and steps, hard-wired smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and better home security can make a real difference to people’s health.

The research which was commissioned by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and the BRE Trust also found that:

• There is proportionally less poor housing in NI than in England or Wales.
• There is a high proportion of health and safety hazards in the housing stock in NI e.g. damp and mould growth, excess cold, excess heat, falls associated with stairs and steps. If these were targeted, there could be a benefit to the NHS of £33 million per year.
• There is a very large number of households in NI in fuel poverty; 44% of households in NI compared with 16% in England and 26% in Wales.

Download The Cost of Poor Housing in Northern Ireland