House registrations plunge by 90%

THE number of new houses registered fell sharply last month, with many rural areas seeing more than a 90% drop.

The latest Homebond figures, which account for 75% of housing registrations, show the number of new homes registered in October plunged more than 60% compared with the same month last year.

Demonstrating the extent of the slowdown, only one house was registered in Westmeath last month, compared with 41 last year — a 98% drop.