Dramatic drop in number of new Laois houses beginning construction

The number of new homes beginning construction this year in Laois has fallen drastically from an all time high in 2024.

In the first eight months of 2025, a total of 178 homes were started, according to commencement notices given to Laois County Council.

That is a fall from a whopping 1,130 homes in the same timeframe in 2024.

The drop is in the light of the ongoing housing property crisis in Laois, continuing to drive up rental prices and the price of new homes as the population continues to rise.

In all of 2024, notices were given to start 1,546 new homes in Laois, most of them in housing estates, followed by single houses, then apartments. Laois was ahead of 17 other local authorities.

By the start of August this year, just 86 units in housing estates were commenced, compared to 885 at the same time last year in Laois.

2024 was an all time high for Laois for housing estate commencements however, with 1195 begun, compared to 685 in 2023, and even lower at 369 in 2022.

Laois has had few new apartments begun this year. By the start of September, just 30 were the subject of commencement notices. That compares to 143 by the same time in 2024, with a total of 220 apartments begun in Laois in 2024.

However the figure was even smaller for new apartments in Laois in 2023 with just 24 starting construction that year.
One off house commencements in Laois have also dropped, with 62 notified by the start of September this year, compared to 82 at the same date in 2024.

Nationally across Ireland, commencements have dropped too, but by a smaller percentage than in Laois.

The 12 months between August 2023 to September 2024 was a historic national high for commencing construction of new homes with about 50,000 homes begun.

From August 2024 to September this year, it has reached less than 39,000.

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The Department of Housing issued the figures.

Laois County Council's most recent figures tell a similar dramatic story showing the drop in housing construction.

In the first half of 2025, they received valid commencement notices for 124 homes, including new houses or extensions or alterations to existing homes. That compared to 652 homes in the same period in 2024.

There are 1,614 individuals and families qualified and waiting for a social home on Laois County Council's housing list.