Ronan Lyons

Housing policy in Ireland fetishises first time buyers, at the expense of everyone else. And this focus on first time buyers has led to skyrocketing rents, and may be about to cause a major public policy error.

A truly extraordinary set of circumstances over the past year created a spike in prices. But it is very likely to be just that – a temporary spike, rather than a permanent shift. To understand why, you have to look at the core data.

When it comes to Ireland’s built environment, the pandemic and associated economic shock may bring about a fundamental shift in how we use space. Our preferences may change for how and where we live and what we want to use our streets, shops and office blocks for.

It is too simplistic to say that rents fell in Dublin because people moved to the country during the crisis. The data does not back this up. Instead, it points to inter-city competition rather than urban-to-rural migration.

Our housing crisis traces back to a dysfunctional market for land. The good news is that the problems are self-inflicted, and they can be fixed.

Higher education is about community and conversation as much as instruction. That's why in-person higher education is here to stay. To match demand, Ireland needs to more than double its student accommodation in the next ten years.

While official sources imply that private market rents increased 22-fold between 1948 and 2018, new research we have conducted over the last number of years found it to be a 90-fold increase. The data also reveals startling new number on yields and house prices.

If working from home becomes the new normal, would the pressure on the Dublin property market be relieved? Could house prices fall? To answer that question, you need to understand the dynamics of the housing market.

Ireland’s cities are burdened by a persistent shortage of space of all kinds, especially residential. Plus, given the country’s need to go carbon-neutral over the coming decades, Ireland can - and should - go tall.