Housing Need and Demand Assessment (HNDA) A Practitioners Guide (2026)

Annex A: HNDA Core Criteria for Robust and Credible Status

Core Outputs

1. Key Housing Market Drivers

• identifies key factors driving the local housing market and explains what each of them may mean for the future of housing in the area and in terms of what scenarios may be chosen to run in the HNDA Tool
• including household formation, population and migration, housing affordability including income, house prices, rent levels, access to finance and key drivers of the local and national economy
• should inform the choice of scenarios run in the HNDA Tool
• uses time series where possible

2. Estimate a range of additional future housing units

• figures should be broken down into the number of households who are likely to afford owner occupation, private rent, below market rent, social rent
• estimates must be reported for each five year period of the 20 year projection and the cumulative total at the end of the 20 year projection (these are output automatically by the Tool)
• the geography chosen should fit with those required for the LHS and LDP
• assumptions and choices made about scenarios (demographic, existing housing need, house price, income and affordability) used in the Tool must be based on evidence and clearly explained in the HNDA

3. Specialist Provision

• identifies the contribution that Specialist Provision plays in enabling people to live well, with dignity and independently for as long as possible
• identifies any gap(s)/ shortfall(s) in that provision and the future level and type of provision required
• considers evidence regarding property needs, care and support needs and locational/ land needs
• undertakes consultation with all appropriate stakeholders who represent the views of those people who this chapter may impact upon and reports on the findings of such consultation
• gives due consideration to the provisions of the Equality Act (2010)
• uses time series where possible

4. Housing stock profile, pressures & management issues

• consider what existing stock is available to meet local housing needs and identify any under-supply or surplus of housing types
• show where existing housing stock is pressured and could be managed differently to meet housing needs
• describe the types and number of in-situ solutions used to meet existing housing need
• stock should be considered by size, type, condition, occupancy (overcrowding and under-occupancy), concealed families and turnover (re-lets and voids), tenure and location. Empty homes, second homes and short-terms lets should also be included
• show the amount of home ownership in the area in the context of the various routes/ schemes into home ownership
• show the amount of affordable housing in the area by the different type of affordable housing
• uses time series where possible

Core Processes

1. a Housing Market Partnership (HMP) has overseen production of the HNDA and other stakeholders have been appropriately engaged with via consultation. All HMP decisions have been clearly reported in the HNDA

2. HMAs have been agreed with the HMPs and are considered in the production of all core outputs

3. the methodology, limitations and quality control mechanisms are given full technical explanation

4. assumptions, judgements and scenarios are well reasoned and transparent

5. key findings have been summarised, at the start of the HNDA, using the Key Findings Template provided by the CHMA. Figures should be shown for each five year period of the projection and the cumulative total at the end of the projection (this is automatically output by the Tool)

6. HNDAs have been officially signed-off by the Head(s) of Housing and the Head(s) of Planning or the designated senior official, prior to submission to the CHMA. Where Local Authorities have jointly produced an HNDA they all agreed their core outputs. A statement to this effect has been included as part of the official sign-off

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