Fianna Fáil's Housing Legacy: Historical Success vs. Recent Challenges (2020-2025)
Fianna Fáil historically achieved significant housing milestones, building numerous social and private homes and facilitating homeownership. However, since 2020, under Fianna Fáil's housing ministers, homelessness has surged over 100%, house prices and rents have dramatically increased, and homeownership rates have declined. Despite a tripling of the housing budget, the party's market-first approach has failed to curb these negative trends.
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin stated his party, celebrating its 100th anniversary, made a difference in housing, citing historical achievements. Historically, Fianna Fáil completed as many social houses as Fine Gael and 30% more private housing, enabling councils to build over 300,000 homes and facilitating council house purchases from the 1930s, turning tenants into homeowners. While this created a shortage by selling off two-thirds of council housing, it marked significant achievements.
However, recent years show a shift. Since Darragh O’Brien took over the housing portfolio in June 2020, followed by James Browne in January 2025, new house completions rose from 21,000 to over 36,000 annually. Apartments now constitute one-third of new builds, up from less than one-fifth, but few are for sale. The proportion of new homes available for sale fell from about half in 2020 to less than one-third in 2025, as construction increasingly targets investment rather than homeownership.
The average house price-to-income ratio increased from just over seven times in 2020 to eight times in 2025, nearing the Celtic Tiger peak of 8.8 times. Average house sale prices rose 47% nationwide over six years. Rents for new tenancies increased 40%, from €1,256 in late 2020 to €1,755 per month in 2025.
Homelessness, a critical indicator, surged. When O’Brien became minister in 2020, the homeless figure was 8,669; it reached 15,286 under his tenure and 17,517 (including 5,571 children) under his successor, an increase of over 100%. The Department of Housing has missed its social housing output targets annually since 2020, with local authority new builds dropping from 44% to 30% by 2025. Homeownership rates are declining, with the average age for a first-time buyer rising from 36 in 2020 to 40. The Central Bank reports first-time buyers' income and loan amounts increased significantly from 2020 to 2025. Despite the housing budget rising from €2.6 billion in 2020 to €7.8 billion, homelessness, prices, and rents continue to climb, indicating Fianna Fáil's market-first approach has made little difference.