Housing is a human right. Everybody has the right to a good quality home, interdependent with green spaces, local amenities and public transport.

The housing crisis continues to worsen. Waiting lists for social housing get longer while supply of housing dwindles. Housing has become unaffordable - to buy and to rent - for large parts of the population. The Five Party Executive has wasted too many opportunities to ensure decent living conditions.

It’s time for an urgent programme of house building. It’s time for assistance for private renters, including rent caps and proper standards for rental properties. It’s time to address the housing crisis.

The Green Party NI will:

• Introduce rent controls and longer tenancies, and strengthen renters’ rights.
• Deliver at least 2,500 energy efficient social housing units per year to meet lifelong living needs.
• Provide funding and incentives for the means-tested retrofitting of all private and social housing.
• Fast-track apprenticeship programmes to train the workers required to adequately retrofit our housing stock.
• Support the Northern Ireland Housing Executive to borrow the necessary funds to build the social housing that we need.
• Develop measures to bring empty and vacant housing back into use.
• Create a landlord registration scheme that requires private landlords to maintain adequate standards in rental properties under the supervision of local authorities.
• Increase the Supporting People budget, and support the SmartMove NI model for private rentals.