Landlords are continuing to flee the Dublin property sector, as the new rental rules introduced in March feed through the market.
Investors selling up accounted for 24 per cent of all property sales between July and the end of September, data from estate agent DNG found, worsening the squeeze on renters.
That rate was up from 20 per cent in the previous two quarters. In recent years that group have made up about 17 per cent of all home sales – well above the 10 per cent rate considered normal for a functional market.
The renewed jump in landlords exiting the market “comes after a spike in the numbers selling up in the second half of 2025 following the announcement of the rental sector reforms which were then enacted this March,” DNG director of research Paul Murgatroyd said in a statement.
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“We predicted this might be the case as many landlords chose not to act prior to the rental sector reforms being brought in, choosing instead to wait for existing tenancies to end naturally before deciding to sell.”
The report underlines the impact of the Government reforms that took effect from March. They included making it harder for landlords to evict tenants as well as bringing in minimum lease lengths and a cap on rent increases. Owners renting out properties have been selling up in greater numbers since the rules were announced last year, but were expected to increase again now given that many leases expire in the summer.
“We fully expect this pattern to continue into future quarters, at least in the short term,” he added.
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Overall, house price inflation in the capital slowed again, DNG found, with average prices increasing by 4.6 per cent in the 12 months to September, echoing Central Statistics Office data. That compared with a 9.6 per cent rate at the end of March.
“We continue to project a 3 per cent to 4 per cent rise in residential property prices this year, which underscores the strong resilience of the residential market,” DNG chief executive Keith Lowe said.
Second-hand property prices increased by just 0.5 per cent in third quarter, DNG found.
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Sellers trading down accounted for just 4 per cent of all sales during the period. That will add to the perception that parts of the market are stalled, with buyers unable to trade up to a suitable home. Similarly those seeking to trade down appear to be struggling to find a desirable home close to their current location.
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About a fifth of all buyers financed their home through personal cash or gifts, while two-thirds relied completely on a mortgage to pay for their home.
DNG wants the Government to increase the help-to-buy thresholds from €500,000 to €600,000 in the upcoming budget.
“This makes much more sense than increasing the grant from €30,000 to €50,000,” Lowe added.
