Kerry auctioneer says cost of building houses putting off people who already have planning

Even people who have secured planning permission are walking away from building one-off homes because the cost of building is so high.

That’s according to Brendan Mannix of Mannix Property Services in Castleisland.

The latest Housing Market Monitor from the Banking and Payments Federation of Ireland shows housing commencements for the first four months of the year are at around 40% of 2023 figures.

The BPFI monitor also found housing completions declined in Ireland in 2024 for the first time since 2013, while planning permissions are down by over 21% between 2023 and 2024.

Brendan Mannix says this is not surprising, as the cost of building is so high.