Local region has among lowest number of private rentals

Cavan has the second lowest number of private rental properties in Ireland, and Monaghan has the third lowest, according to Threshold analysis.

New analysis from national housing charity Threshold reveals that Cavan has the second lowest number of private rental properties in Ireland, and Monaghan has the third lowest.

The analysis, which found that short-term lets outnumber private rentals by 4 to 1 nationwide, shows that there are currently eight rental properties available in Cavan and 11 available in Monaghan on Daft.ie.

In Cavan, there are 52 short-term lets available on Airbnb, bringing the ratio of private rentals to short-term lets in the county to 6.5:1, above the national average.

There are 34 short-term lets available in Monaghan, a ratio of 3.1:1, just below the national average.

Research compiled from CSO Census 2022 and Newbuild Completions Q4 2025 data by One Million Homes shows that it takes an average of 93 years to buy a house in the Ballyjamesduff area and there are more than 7,000 people waiting to buy in the region.

In the Ballybay-Clones area, it takes around 77.6 years to buy a house and there are more than 4,600 people waiting to buy.

It takes around 50 years to buy a home in the Cavan-Belturbet area, where there are almost 7,000 people waiting, and around 48.3 years to buy a house in the Bailieborough-Cootehill area, where there are more than 6,600 people waiting.

In the Carrickmacross-Castleblayney area, it takes around 49 years to buy and there are more than 5,900 people waiting, and it takes around 43.5 years to buy in the Monaghan area, where there are more than 5,900 people waiting.

Across the country, there are more than 8,600 short-term lets available, hosted by people with more than one advertised property, in comparison to less than 2,100 private rentals.

From 20 May 2026, short-term lets must be registered with Fáilte Ireland to comply with EU regulations, including a unique registration number to be displayed on advertising platforms.

Threshold warns that registration must be backed by enforcement, including planning requirements, to ensure homes are returned to long-term use.

As it stands, short-term rentals must have appropriate planning permission before entering operation.

Under the upcoming National Planning Statement, the Government has recently upgraded the population limit from 10,000 to 20,000 on restrictions for the granting of planning permission in towns.

Threshold argue that this change raises concerns as some of the most impacted areas, with few places to rent, are in rural areas.

Change-of-use planning permission is also an existing requirement to convert a residential home into a short-term tourist let.

Between 2019 and May 2025, local authorities received 426 planning applications for change-of-use, accounting for approximately 1.3% of short-term lets available during this time.