What will the Local Property Tax changes mean for you?

On 2 June 2021, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe confirmed the details of the Local Property Tax (LPT) changes. Once the changes go into effect on 1 November, the government estimates that just over a third (36 percent) of property owners will see an increase on their bill, just over half (53 percent) will see no change at all, and 11 percent will see their tax payments reduced.

First off, what is the Local Property Tax? The Local Property Tax was introduced in 2013, and it is an annual charge on all residential properties in the State. Basically, if you own a residential property, you will have to pay this tax. The charges are currently based on self-assessed valuations carried out in 2013. The amount you pay is based on the valuation of your property, and there are 20 different LPT bands, with the lowest two having fixed rate charges of €90 and €225. The problem with these valuations is that property prices have surged since 2013, while the valuations of property for LPT purposes have not changed since 1 May 2013. …

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Has Covid-19 Permanently Changed the Work Landscape?

The government says so. In a time where so many people in Ireland and across the globe have switched to remote working due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, employers and employees alike have been forced to adapt. With more than a year of remote working under their belts, people have been able to observe the many benefits and drawbacks that come with remote working.

 

Now, the Government’s National Remote Work Strategy aims to encourage remote working after the pandemic. The government says its main objective is to “ensure remote work is a permanent feature in the Irish workplace” in the future.  In this strategy, the government breaks down what it believes to be the benefits and challenges that come with working remotely during a pandemic. There are several benefits, including improving work/life balance, more time spent with children and family, and reducing the amount of time spent commuting. However, there are several challenges, particularly when it comes to mental health of employees. In a virtual workspace,  employees  often experience feelings of isolation, loneliness, and stress. Another benefit is the …

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All island rail proposal for Ireland

On April 7, 2021, Ireland’s Transport Minister Eamon Ryan came forward with Northern Ireland’s Minister of Infrastructure, Nichola Mallon, to announce an upcoming review of a proposed “all-island rail network.” This review will entail looking into various ways can improve connectivity between major cities and support regional development; additionally, the feasibility of the use of high-speed rail will be considered. The aim of these improvements is to boost sustainability and bolster economic growth across the entire island. Rail freight is also hoped to see better results.

Successful implementation of this proposal could have other benefits as well, such as reducing emissions from automobiles and mitigating regional economic imbalances on the island. Further, the project could lead to the creation of new jobs, both during and after its duration.

The next step for ministers is to find experts to conduct the review.

Though this proposal came jointly from Ministers of both the Republic and Northern Ireland, of particular focus is the northwestern region of the island. It is thought that this area has generally fallen behind in railway connections compared to …

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Slowing of Building Development

The rate of development in Ireland’s construction sector has slowed to an all time low in June spanning across the last 8 months. Although the rate of expansion is declining, the construction sector remains at a solid growth rate.

The declining growth was caused by the weaker activity in the civil an commercial segments. This contrasts the housebuilding sector that according to the Ulster Bank Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index displays signs of constant and strong expansion.

The construction index amounted to 53.1 for the month of June, 2019. This number decreased from May amounting to 54.9. The index defines that any number above 50 indicates expansion in the construction sector. Any readings below 50 indicate contraction.

Simon Barry, Ulster Bank’s chief economist for the Republic of Ireland, claimed that although commercial activity is still expanding, the decline in pace of expansion in June reached the weakest expansion rate in six years. This trend of declining construction expansion rates denotes that the housing crisis is far from being solved. The amount of construction needed to meet demand falls far below current …

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US Silicon Valley Bank funds Irish Silicon Valley

Despite the uncertainty that surrounds the Irish economy, the business sector of Ireland has been expanding far beyond previous years capacity, with little promise of slowing down. A large part of this is due to the increased investment by both national and internationally based companies in their Irish based assets. 

Additionally, many companies have become increasingly interested in the business and technological advancements that are happening within the up and coming “silicon valley” of Ireland, located within the capital city of Dublin. The United States Silicon Valley Bank, a subsidiary of SVB Financial Group and one of the largest US high-tech commercial banks, has especially taken notice to these upcoming influential companies. 

As a bank that focuses on lending to technology and biotechnology companies, it has made its mission to provide funding to all sizes of business in multiple different forms whether that be venture capital, revenue based financing, private equity, etc. The bank has stayed true to their mission since its debut, providing more than 30,000 start up companies with the funding they need to succeed. 

The Silicon Valley …

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Office extensions in the docklands

The Dublin City Council has granted planning permissions to a business associated with billionaire Denis O’Brien for additional floors on an office building in the Docklands. In the beginning of 2019, Jepview Ltd had plans to replace the fourth floor penthouse inside the Malt House building. Jepview planned to build an additional four storeys to make a nine storey office building. However, the council determined that the plan may be excessive and Jepview reduced one of the planned floors.

The council revised plans earlier this year after the conservation officer revealed that effective development will consist of five floors of vertical extension over an existing 4 storey victorian warehouse building. The officer also stated that the proposed addition should be reduced by at least two storeys to ensure the glass extension remained appropriated.

The office deemed that getting rid of only one floor was sufficient. The vertical expansion grant of the Malt House building uses the city council planner. Specifically, the proposal”exhibits a distinctive contemporary design which will make a positive contribution to the subject site and Dublin’s urban fabric”. …

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Changing Population and Effects on the Housing Crisis

According to the Central Statistics Office, Ireland’s population is expected to grow from 4.78 million in 2019 to 5.9 million by 2046. The growth is occurring due to economic growth and recovery since the 2008 recession. The population of Ireland has increased by just over a million people since 1999. The rapid population growth suggest an even greater demand for housing in the future. The housing crisis will only continue to progress, because demand for homes and apartments will only continue to grow as the population increases.

An additional 1.12 million people will need to be housed by 2046 as population continues to grow. At least 12,500 homes need to be built each year until 2021. This is a massive task, considering that Ireland built just over 8,500 homes in 2012.

Demographic changes in population also present challenges in supplying more housing. Ireland’s population is aging. The 2016 National Census has confirmed that there has been a 19.1% increase in people aged over 65. By 2046, people over the age of 65 are expected to account for 1.4 million of …

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Nyberg report shows that Brokers had nothing to do with the crash

On page 21 of the report ([footnote 27]- available on BankingInquiry.gov.ie) the following appears:

Mortgage intermediaries began to emerge as a force in the residential mortgage market in the mid-1990’s, initially as a distribution channel for non-branch based mortgage lenders. Due in part to alliances with estate agents they exercised significant control over the “first time buyer” market in particular. This market was viewed by lenders as an attractive market segment and key for customer acquisition and exit financing for development lending.

At the peak of the market in 2005 mortgage intermediaries accounted for about 45% of new residential mortgage loans. Against this background, intermediaries were able to leverage their relationships with lenders pushing for better mortgage terms (and sometimes larger loans). This led to a considerable reduction in bank margins (interest and commission). Many banks sought to compensate by increasing loan volumes to maintain earnings. While these changes impacted on the mortgage market, mortgage intermediaries had only a limited and indirect impact on the banking problems which are the subject of this …

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TV3 Morning Show featureing Irish Mortgage Brokers and MyHome.ie

TV3 The Morning Show with Sybil and Martin from Irish Mortgage Brokers on Vimeo.

We were delighted to feature on TV3’s ‘Morning Show with Sybil and Martin’ on their monthly property slot alongside Angela Keegan from MyHome.ie

In the piece we discussed the property market as well as the financial side of it and how changes to both interest rates and taxation changes could affect buyers in the future.

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PRTB Price Increase explained (by the Private Residential Tenancies Board)

found out that the PRTB was going to increase the price it charged to a landlord to register a tenancy and decided to email them asking for a justification for it (it’s going from €70 per tenancy to €90 per tenancy). Given that a tenant also benefits from the PRTB I thought it would have made sense to have them pay whatever the increase was over the landlords existing bill but first I wanted to ask why it was happening, my email is below

From: Karl Deeter Sent: 22 December 2010 14:30 To: Registrations Subject: re: change in pricing

Dear Sirs,

Can you write back and let me know what additional service is being offered in return for the additional fee or is it merely a price increase because you have the ability to do so? Sincerely, karl — Karl Deeter QFA, (LIAM)dip Operations Manager

The reply I got is below…..

——– Original Message ——– Subject:     FW: change in pricing Date:     Fri, 14 Jan 2011 08:29:12 +0000 From:     Registrations To:     karl deeter

Dear Sir,

I refer …

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