Industry analyst and economic forecaster BIS Shrapnel have
predicted a record-breaking recovery in home building for the next two years
thanks to a continued tilting of Australian lifestyle toward apartment living.
According to their Building in Australia 2014-2029 report,
constructed dwelling building activity will reach a new high, and more of those
new homes will continue to be in apartment towers.
“New housing starts are forecast to reach 190,000 nationwide
in 2014/15, which will surpass the previous peak of around 187,000 set back in
the 1994 boom,” said BIS Shrapnel Associate Director, Kim Hawtrey.
“In the next two years we’ll also see the recent emphasis on
high-rise units continue. Currently two high-rise apartments are being built
for every five detached houses, which is double the historical rate of one
apartment for every five houses built.”
The company’s latest forecasts show pent-up demand from
recent strong population growth coupled
with the lowest interest rates in 50 years as factors generating a
record-breaking home building outlook for 2014/15 that will maintain its
momentum into 2015/16.
According to BIS Shrapnel, low mortgage rates have
encouraged building activity and ensuing pent up demand. This pent up demand is
accelerated by Australia’s growing population which is currently at a rate of
1.7 per cent per annum and is translating into strong demand for new dwellings.
“Home building has been punching below its weight for about
a decade, and has not kept pace with population growth for some time now,” said
Hawtrey.
Based on BIS Shrapnel assumptions about household formation
per thousand head of population, the Building in Australia report estimates the
national dwelling stock deficiency is currently around 100,000 dwellings.
They estimate that it will take the next five years to
eliminate the unmet demand for housing and
therefore do not see the housing shortfall closing until 2018.
Nationally, the forecaster believes private sector detached
house will grow by eight per cent in 2014/15.
Key Findings from BIS
Shrapnel:
Residential building
outlook
Housing starts are estimated to have already grown by 14 per
cent in 2013/14 to an annual total of 184,350 commencements. This is compared
with a recent trough of only 145,300 starts in 2011/12.
BIS Shrapnel sees commencements picking up further in
2014/15 (+3 per cent) to around 190,000 starts by June 2015. While this will
mark the peak of the cycle in growth terms, the level of housing construction
will remain high in 2015/16 with 186,850 commencements predicted, and 2016/17
will see activity still buoyant with an expected 168,600 dwelling
commencements.
Momentum is particularly strong in New South Wales (+9 per
cent growth in housing starts forecast for 2014/15), with Queensland (+3 per
cent) also in a growth upswing.
Victoria (+3 per cent expected in 2014/15) has been
over-building relative to demand and is expected to see a local slowdown due to
oversupply, but not for another 12 months or so.
Until recently, Western Australia has been riding on
momentum from the mining boom, but that is now turning and the state is
forecast to record a fall of five per cent in housing starts in 2014/15.
Following an impressive overall national performance in home
building during 2014/15 and 2015/16, natural cyclical factors will then lead to
a correction in the cycle during 2016/17 (-10 per cent) and in 2017/18 (-12 per
cent). Growth in housing starts will resume in 2018/19.
Non-residential
building outlook
Following an estimated growth of five per cent in 2013/14,
non-residential building commencements are set to continue growing into 2014/15
by a further five per cent in volume terms.
Commercial and industrial building (+11 per cent forecast
for 2014/15) is providing the main support, with strong growth coming from
accommodation and warehouses. Meanwhile, BIS Shrapnel said social and
institutional building (-2 per cent) is easing back.
Although the private sector is underpinning something of a
recovery in profitability and a return to growth in non-residential building,
overall growth in the sector is not expected to be sustained beyond June 2015
as the volume of major public sector projects contracts. Social and
institutional building is forecast to weaken as public funding allocations dry
up.
Consequently, with the five per cent improvement in 2014/15,
total non-dwelling building is forecast to peak (this peak will fall short of
the recent high in 2009/10) and not surpass this level for the remainder of the
next five years. Negative overall growth will be a defining characteristic of
2016, 2017 and 2018.
Total building
outlook: summary
According to the Building in Australia 2014-2029 report, the
total value of all national building commencements is forecast to grow five per
cent in 2014/15. Dwelling commencements will follow a strong 2013/14 with
further solid growth (+3 per cent). This will benefit from a strong result in
detached house commencements, supported by growth in the alterations and
additions (+5 per cent) and non-residential (+5 per cent) sectors.
The value of all building commencements will then decline
for the next three years; by three per cent in 2015/16, six per cent in
2016/17, and seven per cent in 2017/18. The sector will then return to growth
in 2018/19 (+8 per cent).