Ireland is heading towards a potentially record year for new home completions since the financial crash, with more than 26,800 homes finished in the first nine months of 2026.
However, the year-end deadline for construction subsidies and a fall in housing commencements are raising questions about whether the increase can be sustained.
Ireland’s housing construction figures have strengthened in 2026, putting the country on course to record its highest annual number of new homes since the property crash.
A total of 10,154 new homes were completed between July and September, an increase of 10.4% compared with the same period last year, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
The latest figures bring the number of homes completed during the first nine months of 2026 to 26,833, up 10.6% on the 24,256 recorded over the same period in 2025.
The increase has strengthened expectations that annual completions could approach or exceed 40,000 for the first time since 2008. However, the final figure will depend on construction activity during the last three months of the year.
Apartments and housing schemes drive the increase
The CSO figures show that the increase in completions was spread across different types of housing, although larger developments accounted for much of the growth.
Apartment completions reached 3,464 in the third quarter, up 9.8% compared with the same period in 2025.
The number of scheme houses completed increased by 13.5% to 5,163, while single-house completions rose by 2.1% to 1,527.
Scheme housing accounted for 51% of all completions during the quarter, with apartments representing 34% and single dwellings making up the remaining 15%.
Dublin recorded the largest number of completions, with 3,720 homes finished during the quarter, representing more than a third of the national total.
The regional figures also reveal differences in construction activity. Completions increased by 33% in the West, covering Galway, Mayo and Roscommon, and by 24% in the South-East.
However, the Mid-West, comprising Clare, Limerick and Tipperary, recorded an 8% decline. The Border region, covering Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan and Sligo, experienced a 6% fall.
Year-end deadline puts pressure on developers
The increase in housing completions comes as developers approach the deadline for a temporary Government support scheme introduced to reduce the cost of building new homes.
The scheme provides a waiver on qualifying local authority development contributions and refunds of water and wastewater connection charges for eligible residential developments.
To benefit from the arrangements, qualifying homes must be completed by 31 December 2026. Developers that fail to meet the deadline may become liable for the relevant development contributions.
The Government introduced the measures to encourage housing construction and improve the financial viability of residential developments.
The deadline has created an additional incentive for developers to finish eligible projects before the end of the year.
Housing Minister James Browne has confirmed that the waiver will not be extended into 2027, putting further pressure on developers to complete qualifying homes before the scheme expires.
The increase in completions is therefore taking place against a particular policy deadline. While the support has helped encourage construction, the longer-term question is whether housing delivery can maintain its momentum once the temporary arrangements come to an end.
Higher completions do not guarantee future supply
Although the latest figures show progress, the number of homes completed in 2026 does not necessarily indicate how many will be delivered in the following years.
The Central Bank of Ireland has highlighted concerns about the housing construction pipeline, particularly the fall in commencements during 2025 and 2026 following a surge in activity ahead of the earlier subsidy deadline.
In its third-quarter 2026 Quarterly Bulletin, the Central Bank said further increases in housing output were expected up to 2028, but that delivery depended on progress across several areas affecting construction.
Its analysis also found that homes completed in the coming years would largely come from developments already in the pipeline, because the time between planning approval, construction commencement and completion has increased.
The Bank noted that around a quarter of homes granted planning permission between 2017 and 2020 never progressed to construction within the following five years.
It also found that the time taken to deliver homes has increased substantially. For homes completed so far in 2026, the average period from planning application to completion was around four years, twice as long as a decade ago.
This suggests that increasing the number of homes completed in one year is only part of the challenge. Ireland also needs a steady flow of viable developments moving from planning permission into construction.
Government housing targets remain a major challenge
The increase in completions has also renewed debate about whether Ireland is building enough homes to meet its longer-term housing requirements.
Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin has argued that even if completions reach approximately 40,000 this year, the Government will need to increase annual delivery substantially to meet its target of 300,000 new homes by 2030.
He said the country would need to deliver an average of around 56,000 homes annually from 2027 onwards to reach that overall target.
Ó Broin has warned that every year in which housing delivery falls below the required level increases the average number of homes that must be built in the remaining years.
Labour housing spokesperson Conor Sheehan has also criticised the pace of delivery, arguing that construction output remains below what is needed and questioning whether the Government has a plan to expand the construction sector’s capacity.
The Government, meanwhile, has pointed to the latest completion figures as evidence that its housing policies are producing results.
Minister James Browne said the increase was encouraging and showed progress in delivering more homes.
However, the scale of the challenge extends beyond the number of homes completed in a single quarter or calendar year.
Can Ireland maintain the increase after 2026?
The latest CSO figures provide evidence that housing output has improved, with more than 26,800 homes completed by the end of September.
A strong final quarter could bring the annual total close to 40,000 or higher, potentially making 2026 the strongest year for completions since 2008.
But the expiry of the temporary subsidy arrangements, falling commencements and delays between planning approval and construction raise important questions about the years ahead.
For Ireland, the real test will be whether the increase in completions can be sustained through a stronger pipeline of new developments, sufficient construction capacity and the infrastructure needed to support housing delivery.
Without that continued progress, a strong performance in 2026 may not translate into the level of housing supply required in 2027 and beyond.
