- Funding approved for almost 20,000 (19,399) homes in 256 developments in 25 counties (70% houses, 30% apartments) to date
- Actively funding SME homebuilders, with 80% of funding approvals for loans of less than €20m
- Actively supporting homebuilders who face equity challenges, with 87% of funding approvals for projects with less than 35% equity contributions from the homebuilder
- Results follow HBFI’s recent published report, ‘The Scaling Challenge’, on the structure of the Irish housebuilding market
15 July 2026
Home Building Finance Ireland (HBFI), set up by the Government to fund the delivery of new homes, has grown total loan approvals to €3.776bn at the end of June 2026.
This increase of 14% on the €3.323bn figure at the end of December 2025 demonstrates steady demand for HBFI’s targeted lending products, which aim to address gaps in the market faced by homebuilding firms – particularly SME homebuilders and those facing equity challenges.
At the end of June 2026, HBFI had approved funding for a total of 19,399 new homes in 256 developments, across 25 counties. This is an increase of 17% on the end-December 2025 figure of 16,558 homes.
HBFI’s latest update follows the recent publication of its commissioned report, The Scaling Challenge, providing data-backed insights of how the housebuilding market is made up and how HBFI can support more SME housebuilders deliver more homes. This report showed the extent to which Ireland’s homebuilding sector relies on SMEs, with 90% of Ireland’s homebuilders delivering fewer than 50 units per year.
HBFI is already an active supporter of SME housebuilders, with 80% of funding approvals to date targeted at SMEs seeking €20m or less.
Additionally, 87% of loans approved to date cover more than 65% of the project costs, showing HBFI’s ability to support homebuilders that face equity challenges and need higher levels of debt to get their homes built.
8,057 HBFI-funded units have already been sold, with a further 2,972 contracted for sale or sale agreed as at the end of June 2026.
Of the €3.78bn approved, drawdowns have taken place in respect of facilities totalling €2.755bn (73%), for 168 developments supporting 15,610 homes where construction is in progress or has completed. HBFI typically expects a time lag of between 3 and 6 months between a loan being approved and its first drawdown.
Individual loan facilities range from €1m to €113m, with an average size of €14.7m. These facilities are for an average term of 23 months.
HBFI Progress Update
Today’s progress update shows that, as at the end of June 2026, HBFI’s key metrics compared to end-December 2025 and end-June 2025 were as follows:
End Jun |
End Dec 2025 |
End Jun |
|
Approvals |
€3.776bn |
€3.323bn |
€3.002bn |
No. of units supported |
19,399 |
16,558 |
15,186 |
No. of developments |
256 |
233 |
206 |
Average facility size |
€14.7m |
€14.3m |
€14.6m |
Average development size |
76 units |
71 units |
74 units |
Tánaiste and Minister for Finance, Mr Simon Harris TD, said:
“I welcome the publication of HBFI’s H1 2026 performance update which illustrates the material impact that HBFI continues to have in supporting small, medium and large developers across all tenure types.
I also welcome the HBFI commissioned SME report released earlier this year which highlights the vital role that small and medium‑sized developers play in delivering homes across Ireland. This research provides us with a shared foundation of evidence that can inform housing policy across Government and the wider delivery system.
Increasing housing supply remains a key Government priority, and HBFI’s flexible product range, particularly its support for SMEs, is helping to bring forward much-needed housing developments.’’
HBFI Chief Executive, Ms Dara Deering, said:
“We are continuing to provide strong and sustained support for homebuilders throughout Ireland. Our recent research clearly shows the importance of having a range of funding solutions for small and medium-sized homebuilders in particular, as well as for those who face equity constraints.
The funding we have provided for almost 20,000 homes demonstrates the strength of our relationships with homebuilders, at a time when the delivery of housing is so important.
We will continue to use the findings of The Scaling Challenge research to further develop solutions that will support homebuilders across the regions scale up their businesses.”
About HBFI
- Established under the Home Building Finance Ireland Act 2018.
- Commenced operations in January 2019.
- Initial funding capacity of €730 million made available by the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), which is recycled as early loans are repaid, freeing up capacity for new lending.
- A private company with its own Board operating on a commercial basis, wholly owned by the Minister for Finance.
- HBFI is subject to State Aid rules and audited by the Comptroller & Auditor General.
- In July 2025, the then Minister for Finance published the third review of HBFI, as required under Section 24 of the HBFI Act, which found that its continuation remains necessary given prevailing market conditions. This review is now available on the Department of Finance website.
- In November 2025, secured a new €200m lending facility from Danske Bank to complement its existing ISIF funding.
- In April 2026, HBFI published a major new report, ‘The Scaling Challenge’, on the structure of the Irish housebuilding market.
- Following the report’s publication, a dedicated resource for SME residential developers across Ireland was launched on the HBFI website.
Composition of HBFI-funded homes
| Total | Owner-occupiers | Private Rental | Social / Affordable | Part V | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houses | 13,540 | 10,084 | 50 | 2,826 | 580 |
| Apartments | 5,859 | 461 | 1,110 | 3,876 | 412 |
| Total | 19,399 | 10,545 | 1,160 | 6,702 | 992 |
| 54% | 6% | 35% | 5% | ||
| % Houses | 70% | ||||
| % Apartments | 30% |