First-time buyers will only be required to have a deposit of 10 per cent regardless of the value of a property when applying for a mortgage, as a result of a decision by the Central Bank to relax its macroprudential rules. This is a shift from the current requirement, which puts the ceiling at 90 per cent […]

ASK ANYONE WHO has gone through the process of buying a home and it is highly likely that ‘stressful’ will be the word they use to describe it. A house is probably the most expensive thing you will ever buy, mortgages are a minefield and the legalities of the process can be drawn-out and expensive. […]

About 15% of cash purchasers are first-time home buyers, many helped by parents Some 15 per cent of cash purchasers in the residential housing market are first-time buyers, according to an analysis by estate agent Savills. John McCartney, director of research at Savills, said this was due to purchasers “relying on the bank of mum […]

Six- to nine – month amnesty for borrowers from legal action by banks proposed. The Irish Mortgage Holders’ Organisation (IMHO) has proposed that banks, insolvency practitioners, the Government, regulators, and various other State agencies and debt advisory groups come together to try and formulate a big-ticket solution for long-term mortgage arrears. IMHO chief executive David […]

‘I hope it works’: Two-year rent freeze to tackle housing crisis LANDLORDS WILL BE barred from increasing residential rents for two years under new plans to tackle the housing crisis announced by the government today. Property owners will also be required to give longer notice to tenants of rental increases or eviction as part of […]

MONTHLY RENTS ROSE by 7.1% across the country in the second quarter of this year, compared to the same time last year. Rents for houses were 6.4% higher, while apartment rents were 7.6% higher. Dublin renters got hit the hardest with rents up an average of 9.2%. House rents in the capital were up 8.8%, while Dublin […]

Planning and Housing Minister Paudie Coffey One-off homes and house extensions will be exempt from regulations introduced just last year to prevent shoddy building work, it has been confirmed. The Government will today announce that from September these properties will not be subject to a formal sign-off from a building professional to ensure they are […]

Over the last five years, as Ireland entered and then successfully exited its Troika Programme, the housing market has remained one of the most important topics in social debate. However, the specifics being debated have changed fundamentally. When Ireland entered the Troika Programme in late 2010, this was triggered in part by the fall-out from […]