Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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104. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of homes prevented from bulk sale in the past three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36893/24]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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In May 2021, conscious of the need to increase stock for home ownership, the Government introduced a series of measures designed to prevent the bulk buying of houses and duplexes. Apartments were not included in this measure. The Section 28 Guidelines for Planning Authorities “Regulation of Commercial Institutional Investment in Housing” aimed to prevent multiple housing and duplex units being sold to a single buyer. These guidelines aim to provide an ‘owner-occupier’ guarantee by ensuring that new ‘own-door’ houses and duplex units in lower-density housing developments can no longer be bulk-purchased by institutional investors in a manner that causes the displacement of individual purchasers or social and affordable housing, including cost-rental.

The Guidelines included policy direction that a new form of condition should be attached to applicable new planning permissions, to the effect that all houses and duplexes would have to be made available for sale and for first occupation by separate, individual households for a period of two years after completion of the home. (In the case of mixed developments, the provision only applies to the houses and duplex units and not apartments). The approach set out in the Guidelines does not apply to housing to be provided for social or affordable purposes from this requirement; and if, after a period of two years, the local authority is satisfied that despite reasonable efforts, a market has not emerged, the condition will lapse.

In May 2024, the Chief Executives of all 31 Local Authorities and the Chairperson of An Bord Pleanála provided an estimate of permitted residential units with a planning condition attached to prevent multiple sales of housing to a single purchaser. Since May 2021, a combined total of 49,828 residential units were estimated to have received planning permission with conditions restricting the bulk buying or multiple sales to a single purchaser. Overall, this is an increase of 9,001 since the last count at the end of November 2023. There was no record of any enforcement action in relation to the condition. This suggests a full compliance to date.