Housing completions decline following drop-off in apartments 

While the overall numbers are strong for the first half of the year, they are still behind where the Government needs them to be to hit 2030 target of over 300,000 new homes

Housing completions for the first half of the year are ahead of 2025 by 10.7%.

Housing completions declined by 3.6% year-on-year to 8,823 during the period April to June, data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) shows, after a significant drop-off in apartments.

Of the new homes completed, there were 4,738 scheme home completions, up 2% compared to the same period last year. There were 2,658 apartments completed, down 12.2%, and 1,427 single homes completed, down 3.7%.

The decline was largely focused in two areas. Completions in Dublin fell by 16.4%, while the Mid-West, which includes counties Clare, Limerick, and Tipperary, declined by 13.9%.

The regions with the largest relative increase in completions were the Border — Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan, and Sligo — at 14.6%, while the South-East — Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, and Wexford — saw the second-largest relative growth at 12%.

The local electoral area with the most completions was Cabra-Glasnevin in Co Dublin, at 465.

During the second quarter, there were 7,538 housing commencements, according to the latest data, bringing the total so far this year to 15,946.

Government target

Housing completions got off to a strong start during the first three months of the year, with 7,856 recorded, an increase of 32.9% compared to the same period in 2025. Thanks to these higher numbers, completions for the first half of the year are still ahead of 2025 by 10.7%.

While the numbers are strong for this year, they are still behind where the Government needs them to be in order to hit their target. Their overall target for the plan is to deliver more than 300,000 new homes by the end of 2030, an average of just over 50,000 a year.

During 2025, there were 36,284 new homes completed, an increase of 20.4% from 2024.

Chief economist at Deloitte Ireland Kate English said the second half of the year “typically sees a higher volume of completions than the first” and, if this trend continues, “it means the number of completions in 2026 will likely exceed the number of homes delivered last year and, indeed, any year over the past 18”.

Huge demand

She added: “That shows positive progress is being made to increase Ireland’s housing supply and we need to see that momentum continue from the policy changes made in 2025.” However, she said housing demand forecasts indicate that between 50,000 and 60,000 homes are needed every year to meet demand.

“This means there is still some way to go to meet housing supply needs. Every year housing demand is not met, it adds further to the undersupply within the market,” she added.

“Where I still place a word of caution is on commencement and planning permission data. Trends within that data, at least for now, make it difficult to see completions reaching 50,000 to 60,000 homes.” 

The slowing completions could add further pressure to the housing market, which is seeing prices continue to rise owing to strong demand. Estate agents who are members of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland forecasted house prices to increase by 5% over the next 12 months.