Exploring the Provision of an Intermediate Rent Product for Northern Ireland: Research Report for the NIHE

In developing an evidence base, this report provides further exploratory
research to further inform the proposed IR model under development.
Specifically, the research has a dual focus: first, to profile potential tenants who
would benefit most from IR products and explore the views and interest of
potential tenants. Second, to investigate and assess the interest and capacity
of stakeholders/providers to develop and deliver the IR product. The research
utilises existing secondary data sets collated by the NIHE Research Unit on
social housing applicants in housing stress from the Housing Stress Survey
(HSS) of 2020, and private tenants in NI using the Private Tenants Survey
(PTS) in 2020. The data was used to profile potential IR tenants and explore
the relationships between rent, income, household characteristics and
affordability. Focus groups with potential tenants were conducted to provide
further insights on the various elements of the proposed IR model, including
eligibility criteria.