Herald Opinion: Housing the main test for the government
The home ownership rate among those aged 25-39, once considered a prime homeowning age, had dwindled to just 7%. Pic:iStock
It is incredibly difficult for many people, a lot of them starting out in life, to own their own home. Something that once was seen as another, albeit always challenging, step in life is now beyond the reach of many.
As the Irish Times wrote last year, the home ownership rate among those aged 25-39, once considered a prime homeowning age, had dwindled to just 7%.
There are many reasons for this, but lack of supply and increasing prices must surely rank as the primary cause. The cost of construction undoubtedly feeds into this, affecting supply.
The data is stark The number of homes sold in the fourth quarter of last year fell by eight per cent year-on-year as prices continued to climb, a new report from data company Geowox showed.
Geowox, which provides data on actual home sales in Ireland, offers home valuation and data services to leading mortgage lenders and investors.
Its report on the last three months of 2025 shows that 16,184 homes were sold in that time, which represented an 8 per cent decline.
In County Roscommon, the price of the average second-hand three-bed semi rose to €270,000 in 2025, up 6.9% from €252,500 at the end of 2024, according to a national survey by Real Estate Alliance. In 2025, prices in Roscommon Town rose to €315,000, up 5%, while Castlerea prices rose 9.8% to €225,000.
While cheaper than elsewhere these are still considerable sums of money.
When a young working couple cannot buy an affordable home, something is very wrong. When someone cannot find an affordable place to rent, something is very wrong. The spectre of swathes of retired people renting their homes is now not just a reality, it is a major concern.
In this context, planning refusals for housing becomes very concerning.
The Herald has been contacted by readers concerned about planning refusals for one off houses, and local councillors have repeatedly raised the problem. The frustration of not being able to build on your own family land and live and raise a family in your own community is very understandable. It feels mean-spirted and unfair.
Local authorities get the blame for these refusals but ultimately the responsibility lies with the Oireachtas. No one wishes for a return to ‘wild west’ planning, but it is unfair to force people into urban centres to live in houses that, frankly, have yet to be built.
It is this issue that the government will be judged on.
