Leitrim councillor calls for action to tackle high rate of vacant homes in the county

Leitrim councillor Enda McGloin has called for action to address the number of vacant homes in the county following the latest GeoDirectory Residential Buildings Report, which revealed that Leitrim has the highest level of vacant buildings in the country.

According to the report, the highest residential vacancy rates remain concentrated along the north and west coasts, with Leitrim standing out at 11.9 percent. This makes it the county with the most significant vacancy issue nationwide.

“There is still a significant amount, and I think there needs to be pressure applied to owners of these buildings who are holding on to them for some reason or another,” said McGloin.

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The Drumshanbo councillor told Shannonside that he believes incentives are needed to ensure vacant homes are brought back into use: “There should be some way of applying a sliding charge on those that accumulate year to year to force their hand on this—either do something with them, sell them, or give a legitimate reason why they can’t.”

Nationally, the average vacancy rate in Q2 2025 was 3.7 percent, with 80,328 residential properties recorded as vacant in June 2025. Over the past twelve months, vacancy rates fell in 17 counties, pointing to some improvement. Dublin recorded the lowest vacancy rate at 1.1 percent.

Construction activity also rose nationally, increasing by 9.2 percent in June (2,018 buildings) compared with June 2024.

Leitrim holds onto top spot for vacant buildings as national rate drops

However, Leitrim lags far behind. Together with Longford, the two counties saw fewer than 150 buildings under construction in total, highlighting the region’s lack of building momentum. Neighboring counties also remain among the highest in terms of vacancy: Mayo (10.6 percent), Roscommon (10.1 percent), Donegal (9 percent), and Sligo (8.4 percent).

More than a third of all derelict residential buildings in Ireland are located in Connacht, at 38.2 percent.

Meanwhile, house prices are rising across the country. The national average price increased by 9.8 percent to €420,469, according to CSO figures.

Dublin remains the most expensive market, with an average property transaction price of €585,754, while Leitrim sits at the opposite end of the spectrum, with the lowest average price in the country at €204,323.