UP TO 60 per cent of house sales in Limerick City during the final quarter of 2025 are attributed to landlords leaving the housing market.
This is just one findings from a national survey conducted by Real Estate Alliance (REA), who also report that 50 per cent of sales outside Limerick City are also due to landlords exiting the market.
Commenting on the report, Pat Dooley, of REA Dooley in Limerick, said that “while the percentage of landlords exiting remains the same as the quarter before, we expect that the first quarter 2026 will see a rise due to the new legislation coming in next March where all new tenancies will be subject to a six-year lease”.
“We have had numerous enquiries in our offices relating to this new legislation and we have been instructed to send out many termination notices on the foot of same.
“Landlords by-and-large do not want to be tied into long leases, even if they are happy with their tenancy, there may be varying reasons as to needing the property back in the short-term future.”
For prospective homeowners, the cost of the average second-hand three bedroom semi home in Limerick City continued to rise, with average prices now €345,000, up 7.8 per cent from the end of 2024 (€320,000).
The latest findings from a national survey by Real Estate Alliance (REA) also found that, across the county, average prices rose over the past 12 months to €277,500, up 6.7 per cent from €260,000 in 2024.
The average time taken to sell during the final quarter of 2025 was four weeks in County Limerick, and just a week less in the city – with up to 80 per cent first-time buyers.
“Unfortunately it seems that Government are sleep-walking into another even bigger rental crisis”, Mr Dooley said, adding that “while this might help the ever-growing shortage of stock for the sales market, it will inevitably be to the detriment of the rental market”.
Additionally, agents in Limerick reported that the BER ratings of properties saw A-rated properties command 15 per cent price increases in comparison to comparable C-rated properties.
The impending nationwide rent pressure zone at the end of February has seen a 38 per cent annual increase in landlord sales in many areas now included in the legislation.
The actual selling price of a three-bed, semi-detached house across the country rose by 1.6 per cent in the past three months to €359,417, meaning there was an annual rise of 8.7 per cent.