Empty homes in Ireland — 166,000 vacant properties mapped

Leitrim has a 12.4% vacancy rate — one in eight homes empty. Dublin has 3.2%. These are not different ends of the same problem: rural vacancy is caused by out-migration, urban scarcity by demand. Census 2022 counted ~166,000 vacant homes nationally. The data is below.

Vacant homes — Census 2022 national figures

Leitrim, Roscommon, Mayo — vacancy rates by county

Counties ranked by vacant residential properties as a share of total housing stock.

Why so many homes sit empty in rural Ireland

• Rural out-migration: Decades of rural depopulation are the main driver of vacancy in Leitrim, Roscommon, and Mayo. Families who moved to cities or emigrated left properties behind. Heirs often hold onto them for sentimental reasons or while settling estates, rather than selling or renting.
• Holiday homes: Coastal counties (Donegal, Kerry, Clare, Wexford, Mayo) have large holiday home stocks. Census 2022 counts these as vacant if they were unoccupied on Census night in April. This pushes coastal county vacancy rates up significantly.
• Condition and location: Many rural vacant homes need major renovation before anyone can move in. They also tend to sit far from jobs, schools, and services. The Government's Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant (€50,000) aims to close this gap.
• Urban vacancy differs: In urban areas — particularly inner Dublin — vacancy typically stems from investors holding property, owners waiting on planning permission, or homes sitting between tenancies. The causes and fixes differ from rural vacancy.

The Vacant Homes Tax and government policy

The Vacant Homes Tax (VHT) launched in 2022 and has risen in each subsequent budget. It targets residential properties occupied for fewer than 30 days per year. The rate currently sits at 3× the property's Local Property Tax. The goal is to push vacant homes back into use. Census 2022 sets the baseline — Census 2027 will show whether the tax worked.

The Croí Cónaithe Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant offers up to €50,000 for rural vacant properties and €30,000 for urban ones. The property must become a primary residence or a rental. Take-up has been strong in Leitrim, Roscommon, and Longford — the three counties with the highest vacancy rates.

Electoral division level — where vacancy clusters

At ED level, vacancy follows clear patterns. Coastal EDs in Kerry, Donegal, and Clare cluster around holiday homes. Inland rural EDs in Leitrim and Roscommon reflect out-migration. Some urban EDs show high vacancy due to older housing stock or planning constraints. IrelandInsights maps occupancy data at this level.

Explore high-vacancy counties

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Leitrim at 12.4% vacancy and Dublin at 3.2% represent the sharpest geographic contrast in the Irish housing system — one cannot easily import supply from the other. Census 2027 will show whether the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant has moved either figure.