Labour TD Ciaran Lynch has called for additional information to be added to the Property Price Register.
The Register launched at the end of September after a lengthy wait but does not provide information such as the number of bedrooms in a house.
Speaking about the Register, Deputy Lynch said: “The price of all property sold in Ireland since 1st January 2010 is now available to the general public at the click of a button.
“The creation of this Property Price Register has led to greater transparency in the property market, adding to the normalisation of house prices.
“The establishment of the Register is not just another promise fulfilled form the Programme for Government, but is also something that I and the Labour Party have been calling for for years. Its creation has no doubt dispelled much of the uncertainty about buying property, particularly for first-time buyers, as they are able to buy a home armed with knowledge of the true value of the property.
“While the availability of more accurate information is to be welcomed, I believe that this register can be improved further. Currently it is not possible to decipher from the register the property size, number of bedrooms or type of property, e.g. apartment, terraced or detached.
“It is very difficult to judge the relative true value of a property without this information and the addition of these details would add greatly to the register. It could also be easily done as all this information is made available at the time of sale for conveyance purposes.
“Realistic property prices are essential if we are to restore confidence in the property market so that people wanting to buy a home can do so. I will continue my calls for the improvement of the Property Price Register – a good idea that can be made better,” he said.
