Sinn Féin TD for Laois/Offaly Brian Stanley has said that Laois house prices “have gone out of reach of what a lot of workers can afford.”
Deputy Stanley was referencing the latest Daft.ie sales report shows published this week, which shows house prices in Laois were 8% higher than a year previously in the second quarter of 2024.
According to Daft.ie’s House Price Report, that is double the figure for the same period last year with the average price of a home is now €263,000.
“This State wide survey shows that home prices increased by 35% on average since the current Government came to power four years ago,” Deputy Stanley said.
“Securing a home has now become more difficult for workers on average incomes.
“The failure by Government to introduce significant affordable to buy schemes, cost rental schemes, or rent freeze in the private rented sector along with other Government policies are fuelling house inflation.”
Daft.ie say figures in Laois are now just 7% below where they were during the peak of the Celtic Tiger.
Deputy Stanley said the introduction of the Shared Equity Scheme, also known as the First Home Scheme, “has simply added another layer of debt to hard pressed home buyers and provided more cash for developers.”
This is despite the Government saying the scheme was designed to help people bridge the gap between their deposit, their mortgage, and the price of their new home.
“Government need to recognise that to reduce house prices a significant volume of affordable to buy schemes, along with cost rental schemes and a three-year emergency rent freeze are needed,” Deputy Stanley said.
“These measures are required to cool the overheated housing market and to bring house prices to achievable levels for average income workers.
“Housing policy has to be about Affordable homes for families and workers and not about enriching big developers and landlords.”
