Home completions hit first-quarter record
Official figures show that the number of new homes completed in the first quarter (Q1) of this year jumped by almost 33% compared with the same period last year.
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) said that the 7,856 new homes completed in the period represented the highest Q1 figure since it began to compile the data in 2011.
The Q1 increase follows figures earlier this year showing that the number of new homes completed last year was the highest since 2011.
Scheme houses up 34.5%
The jump reflected increases in all categories, with apartment completions up more than 33% to 2,355 and houses in schemes increasing by 34.5% to 4,082.
The number of single dwellings completed rose by 27.8% to 1,419.
Scheme dwellings represented just over half of the total completed in the period, while 30% were apartments and 18% single dwellings.
Biggest rise in Border region
All regions reported increases, with the biggest (58%) coming in the Border region, which comprises Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan, and Sligo.
The CSO figures show that more than three-quarters of apartments completed were in Dublin, while more than 95% of all homes completed in the Dublin City area were apartments.
The CSO figures are based on the number of domestic dwellings connected by the ESB network to the electricity supply, but the statistics office acknowledges that this overestimates the numbers and adjusts the data by using additional information from the ESB and other sources.