Housing Crisis Ireland – Planning & Housing News

KEY TAKEAWAYS WHAT IT MEANS Home sales fell by 8% in 2025 Fewer people can buy, not because demand has gone down, but just because prices are too damn high Prices rose 5% in 2025 Confirms a structural housing shortage, rather than a cooling market Private supply alone cannot fix this Developers respond to profit, […]

In January 2026, the Minister for Further and Higher Education, James Lawless, signalled that he is exploring ways to reduce some construction apprenticeships from 4 to 3 years. Irish Times. The proposal outlined by the minister has been referred to Solas and Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) to examine whether parts of training programmes can

Ireland’s housing crisis has produced a growing number of alternative pathways to homeownership. One of the most talked-about in recent months is the Rent-to-Own (or Rent-Now, Buy-Later) model, recently popularised by private platforms such as Homely. The idea is rather simple – instead of renting indefinitely while saving and waiting for mortgage approval, households rent

Key Takeaways Item What’s Happening Why It Matters Apartment construction is rising Large developers can deliver thousands of urban apartments now Momentum is real, but uneven Market power is concentrated A few PLC developers dominate delivery Fragile system, low resilience SME builders are still locked out Finance and planning barriers persist Rural and small-town shortages

Recent headlines from the Irish Times have pointed to a sharp increase in housing starts in Ireland, with Government figures showing that housing commencements doubled towards the end of 2025 (Irish Times) On the surface, this sounds a lot like progress. Given that many readers are likely to look only at headlines (I’m guilty too),

Last week, Sandford Living Ltd (a subsidiary of Ardstone), proposed selling a 3-bed apartment to Dublin City Council for €1.03 million as part of a social housing obligation in Dublin 6. Breaking News. While the headline alone may stir up strong negative emotions (it certainly did for me), we need to understand the broader issue

Key Takeaways Issue What It Means Eviction Notices rose in 2025 Tenants faced increased insecurity after the government announced 2026 tenancy legislation Policy announcements triggered fear Landlords issued more pre-emptive eviction notices Small landlords leaving the market early Uncertainty accelerated exits, with tenants bearing the immediate impact Regulation is focused on symptoms, not the virus

Disclaimer – Domestic abuse is a devastating reality that affects both men and women. Nothing in this article seeks to diminish or ignore the experiences of men who also suffer violence at home. However, the statistics and commentary referenced here – particularly from the Irish Times and related studies – focus on women and children. For

Key Takeaways Summary National average home prices % growth reduced slightly Prices rose by 8.4% in 2024 Then slowed to 6.8% in 2025. Rural prices are growing faster than in Dublin In 2025, Border and South-East regions saw 11.1% and 9.4% growthDublin prices rose by only 5.8%. Severe supply issues push price growth Demand continues

On December 19, the Circuit Civil Court ordered the removal of 29 unauthorised modular homes in South Dublin. Irish Times This has reignited an uncomfortable debate – how do we enforce planning law during a housing emergency without actively undermining innovation and supply? I am a huge advocate for the wider adoption of modular construction