– Record delivery signals new secure affordable rental tenure is here to stay –
Wednesday 7th May 2025
Today, the Irish Council for Social Housing (ICSH) launches its Housing Association Activity Report 2024. Ireland’s housing association sector (also known as approved housing bodies or AHBs) provided 4,385 new social homes and a remarkable 1,213 cost rental homes in 2024, 41% of total social housing and 56% of total cost rental delivery.
Speaking at the launch of the report at the ICSH AGM 2025, Mr Donal McManus, ICSH Chief Executive stated: “5,598 new homes were provided by our AHB members in the sector in 2024. For the past number of years, we have been increasing our stock of social and cost rental homes by about 10% annually. And we are very proud of the collective effort from our members – big and small – who are helping to build strong communities across the state underpinned by secure and affordable housing. 2024 was an impressive year for AHB affordable cost rental delivery in particular. More than 60% of total AHB cost rental output 2021-2024 was achieved in 2024 alone. The sector now manages circa 2,000 cost rental homes for middle income households, providing rental certainty and security to a growing number of households that have been facing the brunt of private rental housing precarity. With these impressive numbers in 2024, this new tenure is becoming a substantial component of the housing market, providing the very necessary stability and protection to tenants from market volatility. Both social and affordable housing support a properly functioning housing market’’.
2024 proved a more challenging year for the sector’s social housing delivery, with 4,385 homes delivered by AHBs via the Capital Advance Leasing Facility (CALF) and Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS). Post-COVID construction cost inflation has been a significant factor here, leading to housing project reassessments and the subsequent impact on project delivery timelines. A key recurring issue for ICSH member AHBs is ensuring the CAS housing delivery stream is fit-for-purpose, ensuring the sector’s critical role in supporting vulnerable populations, including older people, disabled persons, and homeless households. By providing tailored, secure, and affordable housing, our members enable these groups to live independently and with dignity. With Ireland’s ageing population, the need for age-appropriate housing is rising. AHB supported housing alleviates pressure on nursing homes by delaying or preventing premature admissions and is a cost-effective and socially responsive solution. Social housing capital funding streams must ensure that the housing needs of special needs groups are met in significantly greater numbers.
2024 was a challenging year for both public and private housing delivery. But our members remain undaunted. For 2025 and beyond, it is vital that any obstacles to project approvals or funding bottlenecks are anticipated and removed to ensure the AHB sector can continue its impressive year-on-year delivery with the multi-annual capital funding supports under Housing for All (and its successor). It is important that any review of housing targets and necessary funding and investment under a revised National Development Plan is in place as soon as possible to ensure project approvals and timely delivery for new social and affordable homes. The ICSH and our member AHBs would like to acknowledge the support from the Department of Housing Local Government and Heritage, our local authority delivery partners, the Housing Agency, Housing Finance Agency and all our public and private sector stakeholders and partners in the delivery of social and cost rental housing. None of this delivery could be achieved without these strong partnerships ”, Mr. McManus added.
AHB Activity in 2024
- Overall Social Housing Output in 2024 (provided by both local authorities, housing associations/AHBs): 10,595. of which AHBs delivered 4,385 (41%).
- Overall cost rental delivery: 1,213 AHB cost rental homes were delivered in 2024. 784 were delivered by the Land Development Agency (LDA) and 30 by local authorities. There were also 120 Cost Rental Tenant in-Situ (CRTiS) Housing Agency purchases in 2024.
- Overall Social Housing Output in 2024 (provided by both local authorities, housing associations/AHBs): 10,595. of which AHBs delivered 4,385 (41%) through the build, acquisition and leasing programmes.
- 1,213 cost rental homes completed by AHBs in 2024. 60% of total AHB cost rental delivery 2021-2024.
- AHBs responsible for 41% of total social housing delivery and 56% of cost rental delivery in 2024.
- Overall cost rental delivery: 2,147. 1,213 AHB cost rental homes were delivered in 2024. 784 were delivered by the Land Development Agency (LDA) and 30 by local authorities. There were also 120 Cost Rental Tenant in-Situ (CRTiS) Housing Agency purchases in 2024.
- 50% of all AHB and local authority new build social housing was provided by AHBs.
- Almost 89% of AHB delivery in 2024 was new build housing.
- 50,507 approved housing body tenancies were registered with the RTB by the end of Q4 2024, providing tenancy security and dispute resolution processes for those tenants.
- 52% of AHB tenancies registered with the RTB are houses and 48% are apartments.
- 21 AHBs have Certified Body status from the Housing Finance Agency (HFA). In 2024, the HFA advanced €1.3 billion in loan finance to AHBs for the delivery of 4,525 homes in 21 counties.
- In Quarter 4 2024, 63 new Housing First tenancies commenced. A total of 814 tenancies have been established under the current National Implementation Plan (2022-2026) and 1,067 individuals are currently in a Housing First tenancy.
