Mayo families 'locked out of housing market' - council survey confirms

Nearly nine in ten people who responded to a Mayo County Council survey on affordable housing identified an affordability gap as their core problem, with the findings pointing to a cohort of working families and individuals earning too much for social housing but too little to access the private market.

The expression of interest survey, which ran for one month to April 10, attracted 133 valid respondents, 69 per cent of them women.

Of those, 124 were first-time buyers and 11 were fresh-start applicants. The results were presented to the council's housing strategic policy committee last week.

Castlebar was the strongest location preference, dominating first and second choices, while Westport recorded the most evenly spread response across all four preference levels - suggesting it is the most broadly acceptable option for prospective buyers.

Ballina scored a strong first preference but was frequently ranked fourth by responders. Claremorris ranked lowest in first preferences but was most often selected third, pointing to its role as a compromise option.

The bulk of respondents - around 71% - came from Castlebar, Ballina and Westport. A further 59 responses indicated preferences for locations beyond the four main towns surveyed, highlighting dispersed demand across the county.

Three-bedroom houses were the clear first preference for housing type, selected by 83 respondents as their top choice, compared to just five who chose apartments first. Two-bedroom units were a strong second preference.

The data points to overwhelming demand for family-sized homes, with appetite for apartment living notably limited.

Most respondents, 57%, were renting privately, with a further 40% living with family.

Household sizes were predominantly two to four persons, consistent with the demand for three-bedroom homes. Nearly one in five respondents lived alone.

On incomes, the largest single group fell in the €30,000 to €40,000 bracket, with most respondents within middle-income ranges of €30,000 to €60,000.

Around one in five were on lower incomes and just over one in four on higher incomes. Fifteen respondents were already in receipt of social housing supports, while 118 were not.

Savings were limited. Of the 81 respondents who confirmed they had a deposit, over 40% had less than €20,000 set aside and very few had savings above €50,000.

The survey found that available deposits were generally insufficient to meet market requirements, with only a small minority having accumulated enough to access higher-value properties.

Just 16 of the 133 respondents had mortgage approval in place. Despite that, the overwhelming majority, 122, said they would consider applying for a council mortgage, with similar numbers open to bank and credit union options.

Housing insecurity featured in 75% of responses and supply shortage in 70%.

Single applicants emerged as a particularly disadvantaged group, with the report noting that up to 70% of single-income applicants cannot currently access the property ladder under the existing scheme.

The council's report concluded that a clear picture had emerged of a squeezed middle cohort - primarily working individuals and families with moderate incomes, limited savings, and varying mortgage capacity - locked out of both social housing and the private market.

It recommended continued and expanded delivery of affordable housing, targeted interventions for moderate-income and single applicants, and supply aligned with identified demand, particularly three-bedroom homes in areas of highest preference.

Council representatives said it intended to reopen the survey in the future to gather further data.

* Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.