OpenDataNI provides an annual count of domestic and mixed-use properties recorded as vacant on the Land & Property Services rating system in Northern Ireland. The data is updated each April and reflects a point-in-time snapshot. The definition of Housing Stock excludes caravans, garages, stores, and parking spaces.
Use Cases
- Analyze regional housing vacancy rates based on district council geography.
- Track changes in vacant domestic property counts over time based on annual updates.
- Inform policy discussions on empty homes and rating liability based on the 2011 legislation mentioned.
- Assess the potential scale of under-reported vacancies based on the description that ratepayers have no requirement to inform authorities.
Strengths
- Data is updated annually in April, providing a regular snapshot.
- Definition of Housing Stock is explicitly detailed, excluding non-dwelling structures.
- Source is the authoritative Land & Property Services (LPS) rating system for Northern Ireland.
Limitations
- Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- The source notes information on vacant properties may not be current or complete as reporting is not mandatory.
Provenance
- Source
- Land & Property Services (LPS) rating system, aggregated by OpenDataNI.
- Collection Method
- Administrative records from the property rating system.
- Freshness
- Updated annually in April.
- Geography
- Northern Ireland, disaggregated by District Council.