Leitrim leads vacancy figures as €6.8m paid through grants
The county continues to record the highest number of vacant residential properties this year
Leitrim recorded the highest residential vacancy rate in the country in June 2026, with 11.5% of residential properties classified as vacant, according to the latest GeoDirectory Residential Buildings Report, prepared by EY (Ernst & Young).
The report found that 155 residential buildings were under construction in Leitrim in June 2026, while 94 new residential address points were added to the GeoDirectory database in the 12 months to June 2026.
The average house price in Leitrim in the 12 months to May 2026 was €235,714, according to Central Statistics Office data.
This was among the lowest average house prices recorded nationally, with only Longford (€209,146) and Donegal (€229,640) recording lower figures.
The latest figures for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant show continued demand for the scheme in Leitrim.
During the second quarter of 2026, from April to June, Leitrim received 32 new applications, with 26 approved and 23 grants paid, totalling €1,419,492.
Since the launch of the scheme, Leitrim has received 382 applications, with 291 approved and 127 grants paid, with payments of more than €6.83 million.
Minister Marian Harkin welcomed the latest figures, saying: “These latest figures show that the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant continues to make a real difference for families and communities across the county.
“Every vacant or derelict home that is restored represents another family housed, another building brought back into use and another boost for our towns and villages.”
She added: “The strong level of approvals and grant payments demonstrates that people are not only applying for the scheme but are successfully completing projects and transforming properties that had been lying vacant for years.”
According to the GeoDirectory report, Leitrim’s residential vacancy rate of 11.5% was followed by Mayo at 10.3%, Roscommon at 9.9%, Donegal at 8.9% and Sligo at 8.3%.
Nationally, the residential vacancy rate remained unchanged between June 2025 and June 2026, with 81,373 residential units classified as vacant across the State in the second quarter of 2026.
The GeoDirectory report also found that 19,137 properties were listed as derelict across the State in June 2026, a decrease of 3.5% compared with the second quarter of 2025.