Over 500 homes now delivered in Waterford through Starter Home Supports

14 minutes ago

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The number of Starter Home supports in Waterford has increased, giving a boost to first time buyers, Minister of State for Planning & Local Government, John Cummins TD has said.

Figures show an additional 2,683 Starter Home supports were delivered in Q2 of 2026, including 36 in Waterford, representing a national increase of 45% compared to the same period last year.Since the introduction of these schemes in 2021, over 500 homes have now been delivered locally.

Speaking about the Waterford figures, Minister Cummins said: “For many first-time buyers, getting onto the property ladder can feel like an uphill battle. An increase in Starter Homes gives more people in Waterford the opportunity to find a home that meets their needs, suits their budget and allows them to plan for the future.These are hugely successful schemes, developed by the Government and supports that Opposition parties want to scrap despite their success. While there is still work to be done to improve housing delivery and affordability, this is an important development.

In total, over 22,800 Starter Home supports have now been delivered since 2021, including 506 in Waterford. Under the Help to Buy scheme, where an individual or couple can get 10% of the cost of a new build home up to a maximum of €30,000 based on the amount of tax paid in the previous 4 years – a further 1,129 homes have been purchased locally. When combined with other Starter Home supports, 1,635 home purchases and renovations have been supported by Government in Waterford.

Starter Home supports include a number of Government schemes including the Affordable Purchase, Cost Rental, the First Home Scheme and the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant.

Under the Starter Homes Programme, the Government aims to deliver an average of 15,000 Starter Home supports per annum, in the period to 2030, through the local authorities, the Land Development Agency, the Approved Housing Bodies, the First Home Scheme, the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant and the Revenue administered Help to Buy Scheme.

Minister Cummins concluded by saying: “Supporting first-time buyers and helping people achieve the ambition of homeownership remains an important priority for Fine Gael. We recognise the challenges many people face when trying to get onto the property ladder and our commitment is to continue working towards delivering housing that offers choice and more opportunities for people to buy their first home.”