Housing commencements jump 43% in September 

Work began on 1,653 new homes, says Department of Housing

New homes under construction. Work began on 1,653 new homes in September 2025, up 43% on the previous month.

Construction work began on 1,653 new homes in September 2025, up 43% on the previous month.

Some 261 units were started in Co Cork with 141 in Cork city, according to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Some 378 units (23%) were in the four Dublin local authorities; 120 commencements in Limerick; 105 in Waterford, 14 in Kerry, seven in Tipperary, 49 in Galway, and 27 in Clare.

By local authority, most commencement notices this year so far have been for Dublin City (1,808) followed by Cork County (956) and Fingal County (736). In Cork city, there have been 442 commencements this year.

From January 2025 to September 2025, there were 10,193 total commencement notices received. On a rolling 12-month basis (October 2024 to September 2025), 27,210 commencement notices were received.

Of the 1,653 units commenced in September, 682 (41%) are scheme dwellings, 563 (34%) are apartments, and 408 (25%) are for one-off units.

Meanwhile in its Ireland Living Sectors autumn market report published on Thursday, property agency Knight Frank said that €259.5m of living sector deals was completed in the third quarter of 2025. Knight Frank forecast 48,000 housing units are needed each year out to 2030 to meet demand.

Knight Frank Ireland chief economist and research director, Joan Henry, also pointed out that the total number of living sector units required is no longer a detailed enough measure of demand. Ms Henry said the market must meet the needs of specific age and buyer/renter categories. "By 2030, there will be in excess of 1m people above the age of 65, many with mature family homes, but with few options to downsize. There will be close to 500,000 over the age of 75, with no new senior living options available in the Irish market," Ms Henry said.

"The largest bulge is in the 35-50 age category, which is considered the family homes/rent/buy category, where there will be a projected 1.1m by 2030. Knight Frank forecasts that almost 20,000 units per annum are required out to 2030, to cater for this category. What remains clearly evident is the need for housing policy in Ireland to allow for the delivery of housing by product type and to accelerate the process of creating new living sector options."

Irish house prices continue to climb. The median price of a home in Ireland is €375,000, according to figures announced by the Central Statistics Office this week. Its Residential Property Price Index rose by 7.5% in the 12 months to August 2025.

"Outside Dublin, house prices were up by 9.1% and apartment prices rose by 9.6%" said CSO statistician Niall Corkery. The South-West - Cork and Kerry - both recorded a rise of 9.6% in house prices in August 2025.

The national index has now reached the value of 199.4, which is 21.9% above its highest level at the peak of the property boom in April 2007.

Last month, the Central Bank slashed its housing completion estimates for 2026 and 2027, blaming shortages of critical water and energy infrastructure as a major constraint on supply.

Housing completions are forecast to stand at 32,500 for this year, and reach 36,000 in 2026, and 40,000 in 2027.