The Government’s new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030, sets out a broad range of measures that will accelerate new homes delivery and provide affordable housing supports, thereby assisting first time buyers and renters all over the country. The new plan prioritises deliverability, removing structural barriers to homebuilding by unlocking land, reforming planning, delivering infrastructure and creating conditions for investment.
A key component of this plan, the new Starter Homes Programme, will deliver an average of 15,000 affordable housing supports annually to 2030, while at the same time having a keen focus on vacancy and dereliction.
The Affordable Housing Fund (AHF) is available to all local authorities to assist towards the cost of developing affordable housing at locations where significant affordability needs have been identified. My Department, the Housing Agency and Housing Delivery Co-ordination Office of the Local Government Management Association continue to be available to assist local authorities in relation to ongoing development of their affordable housing delivery programmes. Overall, local authorities have received funding approval of almost €597m from the Affordable Housing Fund to support the delivery of more than 6,600 affordable purchase and cost rental homes across 23 local authorities.
Since 2021, Government has introduced several schemes to help first time home seekers to buy or rent homes, with close to 16,900 affordable housing supports having been provided via these measures, nationwide.
Cost Rental is a key element of the Government's strategy to improve affordability in the rental sector and to provide secure, long-term homes for moderate-income households above the income limits for social housing. The core principle is that rents cover the development, management, and maintenance costs of the homes, so that their long-term future is secure, without rents being subject to the pressures of the open market.
My Department is supporting the delivery of homes at a range of cost and rent levels, depending on factors like location and the size or type of home, and affordability is always a key consideration. By providing significant capital funding, Government helps to drive down the rents that must be paid by tenants. This funding comes as low-cost loans, capital grants, and State investment. All supported Cost Rental projects must achieve starting rents that are at least 25% (and often significantly more) below comparable local market levels.
Approved housing bodies are supported to deliver cost rental homes with low-cost loans and capital grants via the Cost Rental Equity Loan scheme. Circle, Clúid, Oaklee, Respond and Tuath have been funded and/or approved for funding to date. Requests for details of the developments awarded funding to date should be addressed to the Approved Housing Bodies directly.
The Land Development Agency and private operators are supported to deliver cost rental homes with capital grants via the Secure Tenancies Affordable Rental (STAR) scheme. To date only the Land Development Agency has been successful in being awarded funding under the scheme. Requests for details of the developments awarded funding to date should be addressed to the Land Development Agency directly.
Statistical data on affordable housing delivery by tenure and by local authority area from 2022 up to and including the second quarter of 2025 is published on my Department's website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/#affordable-housing-delivery
Information on the availability of cost rental tenancies is also published in advertisements on local authority, Approved housing bodies and the Land Development Agency websites. Schemes being advertised are now also available in a single location on the Affordable Homes website, www.affordablehomes.ie.
