Housing completions up over 10% with the west recording largest increase

Chief economist at Deloitte Ireland, Kate English, said 'the attempt to row back on approved housing body delivery is premature and risks diminishing housing delivery overall'

According to data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), there were 10,154 new homes completed during the third quarter bringing the total number of homes delivered during the first nine months of the year to 26,833 new dwelling completions — an increase of 10.6%. File picture

Over 10,000 new homes were completed during the period July to September, up 10.4% compared to the same period in 2025, with the largest increase being seen in the west of the country.

According to data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), there were 10,154 new homes completed during the third quarter bringing the total number of homes delivered during the first nine months of the year to 26,833 new dwelling completions — an increase of 10.6%.

Of those 10,154, 5,163 were homes built as part of schemes, up 13.5% year-on-year, 3,464 were apartments, an increase of 9.8%, and 1,527 were standalone homes, an increase of 2.1%.

Statistician with the CSO Steven Conroy said over one-third, 37%, of all completions were in Dublin with 18% located in the mid-west region which encompasses Louth, Meath, Kildare, and Wicklow.

The majority of apartments, 67%, completed during the quarter were in Dublin. In Dublin, 87% of completions were apartments.

“The region with the largest relative increase in completions was the West — Galway, Mayo, and Roscommon — at 33%, while the South-East — Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, and Wexford — saw the second largest relative growth at 24%,” he said.

The South-West region, which includes Cork and Kerry, saw a 22% increase in completions.

“There was a relative decrease in completions in two regions of Ireland. The Mid-West — Clare, Limerick, and Tipperary — region was down 8% and there was a 6% fall in the Border — Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan, and Sligo — region from quarter three 2025 to quarter three 2026,” Mr Conroy said.

The CSO said the local electoral area with the most completions during the quarter was Clondalkin in County Dublin at 476. There were only two local electoral areas outside Dublin in the top 10 for number of completions — Cork City South East with 288 and Cork City North East with 206.

Chief economist at Deloitte Ireland, Kate English, said these figures show the country is on track to see the “highest number of completions in 2026 since 2008”. However, while there has been “significant improvement compared to previous years, it is still some distance from the 50,000 to 60,000 homes we are forecasted to need”.

“Almost one year from the Housing Plan launch, the challenge now is turning this progress into a sustained increase in supply. A lot has also changed since that plan was published,” she said.

“Interest rates are under scrutiny yet again as growing energy prices drive higher inflation, which will impact the construction sector. With that in mind, the attempt to row back on approved housing body delivery is premature and risks diminishing housing delivery overall. It is important we see continued efforts to deliver homes across all tenure types using all delivery channels.”