Ireland’s housing situation is at breaking point, and in Galway City, there is a significant shortage of available properties, and ever fewer that are attainable. Like many parts of the country, the housing market in Galway is very challenging, and escalating rent prices are placing considerable financial pressure on tenants. Young professionals, whether looking to buy on their own or with a partner, are hitting brick walls that they just can’t seem to break down, and the situation seems to be getting worse, rather than better.
Amidst the deepening turmoil, however, a light has finally appeared at the end of the tunnel for eight new Galway City homeowners. “I was beginning to think I’d never get on the property ladder,” admitted 33-year-old Leah Loughrey.
Born and reared in Galway City, Leah works in financial services, and had been desperately trying to buy a property for more than four years. As a single mortgage applicant, she faced an uphill battle. When she heard the Affordable Housing Scheme was being introduced by Galway City Council, she began to research the potential.
“I didn’t really know anything about it or what was involved. I first heard about a development with another local authority in 2024, and I investigated that further but it wasn’t to be,” she continued.
Leah wasn’t disappointed though. A city girl all her life, she had her heart set on buying a property closer to home. “The other development was a brilliant test run, and allowed me to see how everything worked with the online portal and application process. When Galway City Council advertised the Scheme for the houses at Garraí na Sailí this year, I had everything ready and labelled on my desktop, and as soon as the portal opened on the assigned date, I set my mind to getting everything submitted as quickly as possible.”
Two weeks later, Leah received confirmation that her application for a two-bed home had been successful. “I had absolutely set my mind to it and told myself it was going to happen and when I got the call, it was a dream come true. For single applicants, the Affordable Housing Scheme is the only way to go. It’s hard to see how someone could buy a house in Galway City on their own without the Scheme,” she reasoned.
Located on Letteragh Road, Garraí na Sailí is a development by Burkeway Homes, and eight brand new properties were made available for sale this year, in partnership with Galway City Council. Four two-bed and four three-bed duplex homes were offered through the affordable purchase arrangements, under the Affordable Housing Act 2021 and associated regulations.
Through the Scheme, homes are purchased at full market price, with Galway City Council providing a percentage contribution towards the cost, thus retaining an equity share of the property. Buyers sign an Affordable Dwelling Purchasing Agreement with Galway City Council, and the equity share can be bought out by the homeowner, either in part or in full, at a time of their choosing. The Council is not permitted to seek realisation of its affordable dwelling equity for a 40-year period, unless there is a breach of the agreement.
Róisín Connolly (33 ) and Stephen Doherty (35 ) have also moved into their new home at Garraí na Sailí, following their successful application under the Affordable Housing Scheme. The couple, who have been married for three-and-a-half years, secured one of the three-bed duplex homes. Both in secure and permanent jobs – Róisín in the Biochemistry Lab in University Hospital Galway and Stephen in Merit Medical – they were beginning to give up hope of ever owning their own place.
“We were so sick of renting and had been trying to buy a house for the last three years. It was so frustrating; we’d be bidding on a house and starting to get our hopes up, and then all of a sudden, the price would skyrocket overnight. At one stage, we were looking at new builds and there were only five on the market in all of Galway. It was heartbreaking,” she said.
Like Leah, Róisín and Stephen first came across a development with a different local authority. “We applied but we didn’t really know what we were at, or how much was involved. The information evening was definitely a really good help and the City Council’s website is easy to navigate and find out everything you need to know. We applied for the other development but weren’t successful. When Garraí na Sailí came up, we were a lot more prepared and had learned from our first experience,” she added.
On the day the application was due, Róisín took an annual leave day and was well prepared. “It was stressful, but straightforward. I had everything saved on my desktop and knew what was required. I had never heard of the Scheme before but it’s a really brilliant process, once you have everything in order.”
Not surprisingly, there was huge demand for the development and, providing applicants have all of their ducks in a row, it’s a case of fastest fingers first. “The team at Galway City Council couldn’t have been more helpful and I knew timing was everything. I got everything uploaded and submitted as quickly as I could, but even at that, I knew we weren’t necessarily going to make the cut,” Róisín explained.
On March 14 this year – Stephen’s birthday – they got the call that their application was one of the lucky eight. “It was definitely the best birthday present ever,” she said, with a smile.
Catherine, a 29-year-old professional, has taken ownership of one of the two-bed homes at Garraí na Sailí. Saving diligently since 2018, she had set her sights on having her own place by the age of 30. “I quickly realised that it was going to be extremely difficult trying to buy as a single person. In fact, at one bank, they said to me ‘come back when you have a partner’. In my experience, it felt like they wanted to do everything they could to deter single mortgage applicants. It didn’t put me off though, and I had a better experience at the next bank I tried,” she noted.
Initially deciding that an apartment would be the most sensible option as her first property, Catherine began bidding. The market, however, seemed to be against her. “I would be looking at an apartment with a €200,000 price tag, but quite quickly that would rise by €80,000 or more. On a few properties, I found myself as the main bidder for weeks and then all of a sudden, it would be withdrawn. I was getting nowhere,” she recalled.
In her rental accommodation, her landlord wouldn’t provide her with a letter of proof for her monthly rent bill, despite having always paid on time. “I had saved what I needed to get a mortgage, but I didn’t have the additional proof of my outgoings on rent, so it made my situation more difficult,” she explained.
When Catherine came across the Affordable Housing Scheme being advertised by Galway City Council, she began to investigate further and after attending the Information Evening, realised she might finally have found the missing piece to the puzzle. Hearing about the importance of getting all documents in order and filing her application as quickly as possible, she set up three different computer screens at her rented accommodation and gave it her best shot.
“Bidding on properties had been really stressful and I had received so many knock-backs that I was starting to lose hope. Although there’s a lot involved in getting everything in order to apply for the Affordable Housing Scheme, I realised it was my best option to finally get onto the property ladder. When I got news that I had been successful, it was a dream come true,” she admitted.
With lots of her friends in similar situations, Catherine was overjoyed to get the keys to her two-bedroom home recently, and she is actively encouraging friends to follow the same route. In fact, she’s even giving one pal a helping hand. “I’m going to rent out my spare room to a friend. Not only will it help me to pay my mortgage, but I’ll also be able to provide her with receipts so that she can prove her repayment capacity and hopefully get her own property through the Affordable Housing Scheme a little down the line,” she said.
Undoubtedly, the national housing situation is putting huge pressure on those hoping to buy their first home, and in Galway, this is no different. Certainly, it’s an incredibly challenging housing market right now, but for the eight new homeowners in Garraí na Sailí, Galway City Council’s Affordable Housing Scheme means that they’ll finally have their own place to call home this Christmas.