First of its kind survey asked construction firms how the spread of COVID-19 is affecting construction permitting, starts, completions, materials and labor
Washington, D.C. – The National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) today released a new survey on multifamily construction that found more than half (55 percent) of respondents said that they are currently experiencing construction delays in the jurisdictions where they operate.
The NMHC Construction Survey, which is the first of a series, is intended to gauge the magnitude of the disruption caused by the COVID-19 outbreak on multifamily construction. In addition to finding a majority are experiencing delays, it most notably determined that:
- Of the 55 percent experiencing delays, 76 percent are dealing with delays in permitting and 59 percent in starts;
- About a quarter (24 percent) of respondents said a lack of materials is affecting their construction operations; and,
- 41 percent of respondents indicated that COVID-19 outbreak-related labor constraints are affecting construction operations.
The NMHC Construction Survey also found that 73 percent of construction firm respondents indicated that they have implemented new strategies to deal with the hurdles forming in the virus’s wake such as sourcing materials from alternative locations (43 percent), staggering shifts to reduce on-site exposure (52 percent) and using technology to replace in-person transactions like inspections and approvals (67 percent).
Visit our website to view the full results of this survey.
NMHC will conduct this Survey on a bi-weekly basis for the foreseeable future to continue to provide an estimation of the impact of COVID-19 on multifamily construction.
This Survey is one of a number of NMHC-produced resources focused on the COVID-19 outbreak. Additional resources, data and materials can be found here.
Based in Washington, D.C., the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) is the leadership of the trillion-dollar apartment industry. We bring together the prominent apartment owners, managers and developers who help create thriving communities by providing apartment homes for 40 million Americans. NMHC provides a forum for insight, advocacy and action that enables both members and the communities they help build to thrive. For more information, contact NMHC at 202/974-2300, e-mail the Council at info@nmhc.org, or visit NMHC's website at www.nmhc.org.
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