Buy‑to‑let mortgages fall 70% as large landlords dominate Irish rentals

Data from the Central Bank and the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) show a sharp decline in buy‑to‑let (BTL) mortgage accounts and a rise in large‑scale landlords in Ireland’s private rental market.

In 2012 there were about 150,000 BTL mortgage accounts; by the second quarter of this year that number had dropped to 44,729 – a fall of roughly 70 %.

While a lower BTL count does not automatically mean fewer rental properties, it signals a reduced appetite for financing new rental investments through traditional borrowing.

RTB figures reveal that landlords with four or more tenancies now provide 55.7 % of private tenancies, although they represent only 11.8 % of all landlords. Those with 100 + tenancies account for 15.6 % of private tenancies, the highest share since the RTB’s current series began, marking the 13th consecutive quarter of growth.

The concentration is most pronounced in Dublin, where landlords with 100 + tenancies supply almost 30 % of private tenancies, compared with just 3.9 % outside the capital.

Smaller landlords are under pressure: the RTB received 4,031 Notices of Termination in Q2, over half citing the landlord’s intention to sell, following 7,062 notices in Q1 – a 50 % year‑on‑year increase.

The Irish Property Owners’ Association warned that the decline in one‑tenancy landlords could limit tenant choice, especially in rural and regional areas.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: Lucas Mosesson / Pexels.