Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has formally awarded £61.5 million in government loan funding to housing provider Maple and May, clearing the way for Northern Ireland’s first Affordable Rent homes to open for applications within weeks. The announcement, made in an oral statement to the Assembly, confirms that the pioneering scheme has moved from policy ambition to bricks-and-mortar delivery, with the first properties expected to be available later this summer.
The funding will support 300 new homes across the region at rents set at least 20 per cent below local market rates, targeting households who earn too much to qualify for social housing but are priced out of private renting. It comes as official statistics show almost 50,000 households remain on the social housing waiting list, with demand continuing to outstrip supply.
A £122 million public-private partnership
The £61.5 million award is a Financial Transactions Capital loan rather than a direct grant. Minister Lyons told the Assembly this structure is deliberate: because the money is repayable, it frees up his capital budget to continue funding social housing grants while still stimulating new affordable supply.
“This programme represents a strong and innovative public–private partnership. An initial investment from my Department will act as a catalyst, leveraging substantial private capital, alongside additional private revenue investment from Maple and May. Together these bring the total value of this funding programme to over £122m over the 25-year loan term.
And importantly, because this is loan funding, it allows me to continue prioritising my capital budget towards grant funding for social housing, therefore maximising every available resource towards the delivery of new homes.”
— Gordon Lyons, Communities Minister
The first scheme will open shortly on Old Eglish Road in Dungannon, where fifteen two- and three-bedroom homes are being built alongside social housing in Northern Ireland’s first mixed-tenure development of this kind. Further schemes are expected this financial year in Newry, Craigavon and Lisburn, with Belfast and Derry/Londonderry earmarked for an expanded rollout next year.
Advertising for the Dungannon properties will begin shortly via the Maple and May website, Property Pal and Property News, with tenancies expected to start later this summer.
Rent levels, eligibility and tenant protections
The homes target lower-income working households caught in what the Minister described as a critical gap in the market.
“There is no doubt, this type of housing is badly needed. Too many people are caught in the gap between being unable to access social housing and unable to afford the cost of living in the private rental market. This programme is a direct response to that challenge.”
— Gordon Lyons, Communities Minister
“Critically, these homes will be offered for rents at least 20% below local market levels. That is a meaningful saving for working households. Rents can only be uplifted once annually in line with private rented legislation, with an effective cap in place. Homes will be targeted towards lower income households. And alongside that affordability, tenants will benefit from greater security through longer tenancies in high-quality, well-maintained homes, and access to support services when they need them.”
— Gordon Lyons, Communities Minister
Departmental policy sets clear income caps. Minister Lyons said:
“Access to these homes will be fair, transparent and consistent. Eligibility criteria for a tenancy have been clearly set out in my department’s policy. For example, households must earn below £30,000 for a single adult, or £40,000 for households with two adults. This is intended to direct these tenancies to households who need them and who can derive most benefit from what’s being offered.”
— Gordon Lyons, Communities Minister
Tenancy agreements can run for up to five years, and deposits will not be required upfront but can be paid over time.
Deirdre Steele, Head of Maple and May, said in the launch announcement:
“This exciting initiative will enable Maple and May to support local communities through the delivery of 300 new affordable homes across Northern Ireland. As a first for Northern Ireland, this innovative project will provide greater flexibility for individuals and families looking to access the private property market. With features including tenancy agreements of up to five years and flexible deposit options, the initiative has been carefully designed to help people secure homes that best suit their needs.”
— Deirdre Steele, Head of Maple and May
Social housing investment, supply targets and Executive borrowing
The Affordable Rent programme sits alongside, but does not replace, Stormont’s social housing pipeline. The Minister noted that he secured an extra £42 million for the Social Housing Development Programme in 2025/26, resulting in a record level of investment.
“At the beginning of 2025/26, the outlook for the Social Housing Development Programme was poor with a budget that would only have achieved 1,100 new social homes. I secured a further £42m resulting in the largest investment ever in the Social Housing Development Programme, and achieved 1,765 new social home starts, representing a 17% increase in delivery year-on-year.”
— Gordon Lyons, Communities Minister
There are now over 6,000 social homes under construction across Northern Ireland. Yet the scale of need remains vast. Accredited official statistics published by NISRA show that at 31 December 2025, just under 50,000 households (49,755) were on the Northern Ireland Housing Executive waiting list without an existing social tenancy. Of those, 38,620 were in housing stress and 32,993 held full duty applicant status.
Minister Lyons acknowledged that even with the extra investment, social housing delivery is still falling short of the Programme for Government target to begin 5,850 new build social homes by 2027. He told Members he has repeatedly pressed the Executive to earmark more funding for the Social Housing Development Programme and is exploring alternatives such as public sector land transfers, reviews of grant rates and design standards, and the New Foundations pilot for care leavers.
He also restated his push to secure borrowing powers for the Housing Executive. Having told a scrutiny committee last year that talks with the Treasury were hitting a “brick wall”, his latest statement to the Assembly struck a more cautiously optimistic note: he said he had secured a UK Government commitment to consider Housing Executive borrowing as part of the Northern Ireland fiscal framework discussions, and that urgent engagement continues between officials to secure the Housing Executive’s financial viability.
Delivery gaps and unknowns
While the announcement marks genuine progress, several details are still unclear:
- The exact phasing of all 300 homes over the delivery period has not been published.
- It is not yet known how rent levels will be benchmarked in practice, or how the “effective cap” on annual uplifts will interact with private rented legislation.
- The statement does not specify what support services tenants will receive, or how Maple and May will manage applications from vulnerable households who may struggle with digital-only advertising channels.
- There is no detail on what happens when a five-year tenancy ends, or whether tenants will have any automatic right to renew.
Strategic questions on scale, targeting and tenure
- With nearly 50,000 households on the waiting list, will 300 affordable rent homes relieve pressure on social housing or mainly highlight the scale of under-supply?
- How will the Department ensure that the income caps genuinely target those in greatest need, and what safeguards exist for households whose earnings fluctuate around the £30,000 and £40,000 thresholds?
- If borrowing powers for the Housing Executive remain blocked by the Treasury, can loan-based partnerships like this fully compensate for the lack of direct social housing investment?
- What happens to tenants at the end of a five-year tenancy, and will they have any priority for renewal or for transferring into social housing?
Next steps: Dungannon launch and expansion
The Dungannon scheme will be the litmus test. If the mixed-tenure model works and rents genuinely stay 20 per cent below market levels, the programme could prove that public-loan-backed private delivery can fill a niche in Northern Ireland’s housing ecosystem. However, with demand far outstripping supply, 300 homes—while welcome—will not shift the overall picture without rapid expansion.
Minister Lyons made clear he sees this as just the start. He told the Assembly:
“And let me be clear: this is only the beginning. Work is already underway to expand delivery beyond the initial 300 homes. My ambition is to see this model grow and play a meaningful role in addressing housing supply and housing need across Northern Ireland.”
— Gordon Lyons, Communities Minister
“Ultimately, this programme is about more than bricks and mortar. It is about giving people security, providing stability, and helping hard-pressed individuals and families build a future.”
— Gordon Lyons, Communities Minister
Stakeholders will now be watching whether the summer launch stays on schedule, whether the income thresholds capture the right households, and whether the Executive can secure the additional social housing grant funding the Minister says is still urgently needed.