Housing

Delivering homes, building better communities

Fine Gael is dedicated to delivering homes and building vibrant, resilient communities across Ireland because we believe that every person deserves a secure and affordable place to live. Housing is at the heart of strong communities and economic growth, providing stability for families, young people, and older citizens alike. We are committed to tackling housing shortages, reducing barriers to homeownership, and ensuring that rental options are fair and sustainable.

Fine Gael is dedicated to increasing the supply of homes, from identifying suitable land and streamlining planning to investing in construction methods and workforce growth.

Our focus

building sustainable communities
enabling home ownership, and
providing homes that meet Ireland’s growing needs.

Through the National Planning Framework, we aim to balance growth by targeting 50% of new homes in the five major cities—Limerick, Galway, Waterford, Cork, and Dublin—and 50% in the rest of the country. To achieve this, we’ll ensure there’s enough zoned, serviced land in the right places, speed up planning, and embrace modern construction methods to build more efficiently while growing the construction workforce

Fine Gael’s goal is to create communities that are well-connected, with accessible amenities like schools, healthcare, public transport, and green spaces. We aim to develop areas where people can thrive, feel secure, and connect with their neighbours.

To achieve this, Fine Gael is investing in infrastructure and reforming planning processes to speed up delivery. We are committed to helping first-time buyers, supporting affordable rental schemes, and enabling local authorities and developers to work together effectively. Fine Gael will continue working to make Ireland a place where everyone can find a home in a community that supports a fulfilling, high-quality life.

Building more and building faster

Fine Gael led the revival of homebuilding after the financial crisis, tripling housing output between 2011 and 2020 under the ‘Rebuilding Ireland’ initiative, and we have continued this progress with ‘Housing for All’ since 2021.

We know Ireland needs more homes, and we need them faster. Fine Gael is committed to delivering 300,000 new homes over the next six years, with a target of 60,000 per year by 2030.

Fine Gael is committed to building homes, supporting communities, and ensuring that every part of Ireland has the housing it needs to thrive.

Fine Gael will

Deliver 300,000 New Homes: We will build 300,000 homes in the next six years, reaching 60,000 per year by 2030, with 30,000 homes outside the major cities annually.
Support Home Ownership: Fine Gael is committed to making homeownership more accessible, especially for first-time buyers.
Invest Significantly in Housing: We will allocate €40 billion to the housing budget for the five years from 2026-2030, averaging €8 billion annually, to ensure resources meet our ambitious housing goals.

Accelerating Housing Delivery

Fine Gael will

Invest Significantly in Housing: We will allocate €40 billion to the housing budget over the five years from 2026-2030, averaging €8 billion annually, to ensure resources meet our ambitious housing goals.
Launch a National Land Audit: Create a regularly updated, public audit of zoned, serviced, and unzoned land to help plan for 300,000 homes over the next five years.
Support Conversions and Vacant Properties: Provide additional Vacant Home Officers, and make it easier for authorities to acquire vacant properties.
Retain the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant: Maintain grants worth €50,000 (vacant) and €70,000 (derelict) for a further 5 years.
Speed up applications: Ensure local authorities are appropriately staffed with Vacant Home Officers to administer the scheme efficiently.
Expand the Living City Initiative: Expand the geographic areas covered under this scheme.
Deliver more Homes through the Land Development Agency: Support the LDA in unlocking State land for housing, including Project Tosaigh, targeting land with unused planning permission.
Take a practical approach to one-off housing: Recognise the value of building thriving communities and family support structures, especially in rural Ireland.
Increase Investment in Water Infrastructure: Allocate increased funding each year to improve water and wastewater services.
Fast-Track Water Connections: Set clear timelines for water connection agreements, ensuring large developments can proceed without delay.
Expand Rural Water Schemes: Address wastewater needs in villages lacking access to public treatment facilities.
Activate Apartment Sites: Enable upfront payments to developers to fast-track the construction of apartment developments for owner-occupiers.

Helping People Buy a Home

Through key initiatives like the Help to Buy Scheme, affordable home schemes, and streamlining the home- buying process, we are dedicated to supporting individuals and families in purchasing their own homes.

Fine Gael will

Increase Help to Buy Relief for First-Time Buyers: Raise the relief under Help to Buy to €40,000 and maintain scheme until 2030.
Extend and Adjust the First Home Scheme: Extend the First Home Scheme to cover first-time buyers of second-hand homes, continue the scheme for five more years.
Increase the geographic spread of Affordable Purchase schemes: Collaborate with local authorities to expand affordable purchase options in all counties.

Expanding Social Housing and Tackling Homelessness

Fine Gael is committed to increasing social housing supply, preventing homelessness, and ensuring Ireland’s housing system meets the needs of all citizens.

Fine Gael will

Build 12,000 Social Homes per Year: By 2030, we will construct 12,000 new social homes annually.
Focus on Preventing Homelessness: Prioritise securing private tenancies and other accommodation to prevent homelessness.
Prioritise families: Focus social housing allocation on getting families out of long-term homelessness.
Reinforce the Social Housing Tenant in Situ Programme: We will establish the Social Housing Tenant in Situ Programme on a statutory footing.
Streamline State Assistance: Ensure all government departments and agencies work together to help individuals exit emergency accommodation as quickly as possible.
Expand One-Bedroom Units: Require local authorities to build and lease one-bedroom units with an option to purchase, addressing the needs of single households.
Broaden the Housing First Approach: Expand Housing First, a holistic programme for individuals facing mental health, addiction, and other challenges, with a goal of 300 new tenancies each year over the next five years.

Supporting a Better System for Renters and Landlords

Fine Gael is committed to a fair and stable rental market that supports both renters and landlords, ensuring long-term housing security and affordability.

Increase Rent Tax Credit: Raise the Rent Tax Credit to €1,500 per renter, or €3,000 per couple, to alleviate rental costs and support tenants in managing expenses.
Retain Rent Pressure Zones: Maintain the Rent Pressure Zone framework to help keep rent increases under control in high-demand areas.
Extend Landlord Tax Credit: Continue the Landlord Tax Credit until 2030 for landlords who stay in the rental market, encouraging stability.

Practical Housing Options for all

Fine Gael is committed to appropriate housing for students, older people, members of the Traveller community and frontline workers, providing suitable purpose-built housing options for different needs.

Fine Gael will

Explore Cost Rental Housing for Frontline Workers: Conduct a feasibility study on developing affordable rental accommodation specifically for frontline public sector workers, ensuring key workers can live close to their places of work.
Launch a National Student Accommodation Building Programme: Deliver 2,500 new student beds each year through a multi-annual plan to increase availability.
Enable Technological Universities to Build Student Housing: Allow new Technological Universities to borrow funds for student accommodation projects on their campuses and ensure the Department of Higher and Further Education directly finances the delivery of purpose-built student accommodation on public or private lands.
Standardise Student-Specific Leases:: Ensure student accommodation leases align with the academic year.
Increase the value of Housing Adaptation Grants: Proceed with a 30% increase in the grant limits and a 25% increase in the income thresholds for the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability Scheme.
Identify Dedicated Housing Sites for older people: Mandate local authorities to find suitable sites for housing specifically designed for older adults.
Simplify Conversion Rules: Make it easier to convert houses into two flats, allowing older adults to continue living in familiar surroundings.
Ensure Local Authorities Utilise Traveller Housing Budgets Fully: Require local authorities to deliver Traveller-specific housing and draw down their full budgets to maximise the impact of allocated funds.

Addressing Legacy Issues in Housing

Fine Gael is committed to supporting homeowners affected by construction issues and improving building standards for future developments.

Review the Defective Concrete Blocks Scheme: Carry out a comprehensive review of Defective Concrete Blocks Scheme within 6 months taking into account feedback from all stakeholders.
Reinforce the Apartment Defects Scheme: Put this scheme on a statutory basis to provide support to owners of apartments with structural defects, ensuring assistance is accessible and reliable. We will support the ‘pathfinder’ approach to identify the most effective process for the funding of eligible works retrospectively.
Create an Independent Building Standards Regulator: Set up an independent regulator to enforce high standards in construction quality and safety, preventing similar issues from arising in the future.
Enact all sections of the Regulation of Providers of Building Works and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022, making entry on the Construction Industry Register Ireland (CIRI) mandatory.
Resource local authorities sufficiently to carry out building inspections.

Fine Gael Timeline

2010 – A Government survey of 2,846 housing developments finds construction activity is taking place on just 429 (15%). It also finds 23,250 homes are complete but vacant in these ‘ghost’ estates; 10,000 are nearly complete and almost 9,900 are under construction.

2011 – 6,994 homes built nationally. This includes 1,289 social homes built by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies.

2013 – Successfully renegotiated the EU-IMF bailout, restoring financial sovereignty and strengthening Ireland’s fiscal future.

2013 – Mica in defective concrete blocks emerges as an issue in walls of Donegal homes. Thousands of homeowners are affected, with the cost of remediation expected to reach €2.2bn.

2013 – Fine Gael establish the Pyrite Resolution Board. Some 2,750 affected buildings in Dubin, Mayo, Sligo and Clare constructed between 1997 and 2013 are affected with major defects. Some €192m has been spent on remediation to date.

2015 – In Budget 2015, Fine Gael restore the social housing budget to €2.2bn over three years.

2016 – Fine Gael introduce Rent Pressure Zones, limiting annual rent increases to no more than 2%. Fine Gael publish ‘Rebuilding Ireland’ containing ambitious housing targets.

2016 – 9,791 new homes built, including 669 social homes.

2017 – The Help to Buy Scheme is launched, providing a tax refund of up to €20,000 for use as a deposit.

2017 – Fine Gael launch the Repair and Lease Scheme, aimed at bringing vacant properties in need of repair back into use for social housing. This scheme evolved into the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant.

2017 – 256 unfinished ghost estates remain to be resolved, with 678 homes built but empty and another 3,608 at various stages of construction.

2017 – 14,281 new homes built, including 2,297 social homes.

2018 – Fine Gael establishes the Land Development Agency to build homes on publicly-owned land.

2018 – The Serviced Sites Fund & Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund are established to help pay for water, power and other utilities on sites earmarked for housing.

2018 – The Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan (now the Local Authority Home Loan) is launched, providing a State- backed mortgage for credit-worthy borrowers unable to get a housing loan from the private market.

2018 – The Urban Regeneration and Development Fund is established to part-fund regeneration and rejuvenation projects in our cities and large towns. To date, €1.8bn has been allocated.

2019 – Fine Gael turn the sod on the country’s first cost rental scheme on the Enniskerry Road in Dublin. An ‘Affordable Rental Scheme’ was in the 2016 Programme for Government.

2019 – Fine Gael establish Home Building Finance Ireland (HBFI) to provide finance to homebuilders for rental, social and private homes. To date, funding for almost 8,500 homes has been provided.

2019 – 21,000 homes built, a three-fold increase on the 7,000 constructed in 2011.

2021 – Fine Gael introduce a 10% stamp duty to avoid bulk purchasing of multiple homes in developments.

2021 – Fine Gael establish the National Apprenticeship Office. More than 7,500 craft training places are currently available.

2021 – The Working Group to Examine Defects in Housing is established. It finds fire safety and other construction issues in up 100,000 apartments and duplexes built between 1991 and 2013. The full cost of remediation is estimated at €1.5 – €2.5bn.

2023 – In Budget 2023, Fine Gael introduce the Rent Tax Credit to support renters with the cost of accommodation.

2023 – 32,695 homes built, including 8,110 social homes.

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