More Dubliners own homes outright than pay mortgages in the city

Outright homeowners now outnumber mortgage holders in Dublin city

News Stephen Holland Local Democracy Reporter 14:52, 10 Aug 2026 Updated 14:58, 10 Aug 2026 View Image Stock image (Image: Getty Images)

More people live in homes they own outright in Dublin City than have a mortgage to pay.

The housing crisis is one of the biggest issues affecting people in Dublin , but a significant percentage of households don’t have to deal with the challenges of renting . Census figures from 2022 show that there are 225,519 households in Dublin City. Of these, 106,623 (47.3%) or are owner occupied - compared to the 101,860 (45.2%) homes being rented out.

Digging into statistics on Dublin City Council ’s new Knowledge Hub , which collects data on everything from the environment to housing to areas of affluence and disadvantage, it’s clear that there’s a divide between those for whom housing is a daily worry and those who have managed to avoid or escape the rat race of renting in the city. The housing crisis is real, but when looking at the hard figures, it’s definitely more real for some than others.

Those who own their homes outright make up 26.1% of Dublin City’s housing tenure, while those with mortgages are 21.2%. When investigating even further, a tale of two Dublins begins to emerge, as research from the Central Bank of Ireland revealed home-owners hold 97% of Ireland’s total wealth, with just the remaining 3% owned by renters. This research also shows that the top 10% Irish households hold as much wealth as the bottom 90%.

It’s common to hear that Ireland doesn’t have a class system in the way so many other countries do, but for generations of young people who feel like they’ve witnessed the ladder being pulled up right in front of them the prospect of owning a home feels increasingly out of reach. When paired with a stark disparity between wealth of home-owners versus renters, many struggle to imagine a future where they ever get on the property ladder.

Labour Councillor Dermot Lacey has consistently brought up this issue and has called on the council to ramp up delivery of social housing to meet the needs of the city. “Home ownership should be a legitimate aspiration for people, but far too many are locked out of the system,“ he said in a 2024 emergency motion.

“I routinely hear from people stuck at the hard edge of this crisis - whether from those left on the housing list for years, from multiple generations of families all living under one roof due to a lack of supply, from renters living in fear of eviction, or from those unable to get a mortgage.”

Sinn Féin Group Leader on Dublin City Council Cllr Daithí Doolan too has blasted an overreliance on the private market, which he says has only increased the crisis and caused rents to skyrocket. He condemned planned changes to the Land Development Agency that would allow them to sell up to 30% of homes delivered on state-owned land on the private market.

“This totally flies in the face of what is really needed in Dublin. We urgently need council and real affordable housing delivered as quickly as possible. The quickest and most efficient way to deliver this housing is on state owned land. Now the Government is planning to use state land to supply private housing. This is short sighted and will only contribute to the housing crisis.

“This clearly shows just how out of touch this government really is when it comes to meeting the needs of Dublin. This proves yet again we urgently need a government that works with us, not against us.”

Cllr Doolan previously spoke to Dublin Live about how renters are being “pushed to the pin of their collar” to meet the demands of a cost of living crisis to the point that they cannot even begin to start saving the minimum 10% deposit one needs for a mortgage. “Homeless figures continue to spiral. We slip deeper and deeper into a housing crisis, particularly here in Dublin, where the market is absolutely out of control. What we need is immediate government action and intervention,” he said.

The figures show a divide between those renting and those who own homes in Dublin City, but there is an action plan in place to address the housing crisis through the Government’s ‘Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030’ initiative. This ambitious plan includes the construction of 300,000 homes, including 72,000 social homes and 90,000 affordable housing supports .

“We are in a housing crisis, one that requires a rapid response. A response at pace, and at scale,” Minister for Housing James Browne said in his foreword to the plan.

“There is no doubt in my mind that delivering on an ambitious plan of this scale will require robust and delivery-focused partnership - it is the very nature of housing delivery. The State will lead with record investment and strong direction, but success depends on collaboration — with local authorities, the Land Development Agency, Approved Housing Bodies, the private sector and communities.

“I will call out where work is not happening. We will engage deliberately where alignment goes off course. In short, I will not accept a lack of ambition or stasis in decision making to get things moving.”

Since its launch last year, Minister Browne has remained firm that they can meet the targets outlined in the plan. According to the Mid-Year Progress Report released last July new home completions are up 26%, apartments built is up 42%, and new planning permissions are up 8% year-on-year.

Criticism of central government for their part in the housing crisis has been ongoing and consistent for decades. Many lament a succession of empty promises or a system that props up the wealthy home-owners while keeping others renting for generations on end, but with €275 billion being invested into infrastructure over ten years there’s still hope for a future where buying a home feels achievable for the bottom half of society.

This content is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme

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