Mortgage approvals in Ireland for April exceeded €1.5 billion as first-time buyers continue to drive activity in the property market.
That’s according to the latest report from Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI), which found that a total of 4,729 mortgages were approved in the month - up 5.5% compared to March and 0.5% higher than in April 2025.
Just over 60% - or 2,899 - of those were to first time buyers, which was 3.4% higher in the month but down 0.3% year-on-year.
Mortgages approved in April were valued at €1,547 million – of which first-time buyers accounted for €966 million (62.5%) and mover purchasers for €328 million (21.2%).
The value of mortgage approvals rose by 6.9% month-on-month and by 3.0% year-on-year.
Re-mortgage/switching activity also rose by 6% in volume terms year-on-year and increased by 17% in value in the same period.
Commenting on the publication of the latest data, Brian Hayes, Chief Executive, BPFI said: “Our latest report shows that the value of mortgage approvals exceeded €1.5 billion in April, up 3% on the same month last year, while approval volumes rose marginally to 4,729. Although purchase mortgage approvals fell slightly in volume terms across all categories, including first-time buyers and mover purchasers, first-time buyer activity remains strong. There were 9,820 first-time buyer mortgage approvals in the first four months of the year, the highest level recorded for that period since the series began in 2011, with the value of those approvals rising to more than €3.2 billion.”
“Looking at the annualised figures, there were 53,117 mortgage approvals in the twelve months to April 2026, valued at more than €17 billion. This represents a slight increase on the twelve months to March 2026, with volumes up 0.05% and values up 0.27%.”
Mr Hayes concluded: “Our April data points to sustained mortgage demand, with first-time buyers continuing to be the main driver of activity. This is reflected in Help to Buy demand, with the Revenue Commission reporting almost 20,000 applications submitted in the first four months of 2026, up 51% on the same period last year. With 32,358 first-time buyer mortgage approvals recorded in the twelve months to April 2026, the pipeline for lending activity remains strong in the months ahead.”
Follow MyHome on WhatsApp for all the latest property news and advice.
