Official figures from registered landlords indicate that by the end of the year, more than 1,000 evictions will have taken place across Galway in 2025.
Based on a trend indicated by rising reports of Notices of Termination in County Galway to the national Residential Tenancy Board (RTB ), the more than 900 evictions up to August will easily surpass 1,000 – or even breach 1,200 – when this year’s final quarterly statistics are released in early 2026.
So far, there have been 940 recorded evictions across County Galway in the first nine months of this year. There were 301 in the first quarter, 318 followed in the second quarter, and 321 up to the end of August.
Nationally, RTB data shows a dramatic increase in termination notices for this year: in Q3 2025 alone, landlords submitted 5,405 Notices of Termination, a 35 per cent increase compared with the same period last year. If this national trend continues for Galway, there may be 1,269 evictions here by the end of the year.
From March next year, new measures for landlords owning more than three properties mean stricter rules around no-fault-evictions. A number of commentators suggest this will prompt a surge in evictions in the new year as landlords move to create new tenancies before rules change.
The Irish Property Owners Association said it also has extensive anecdotal evidence showing smaller landlords fleeing the market. Many are cashing in while house prices remain high, before new rental regulations come into force.
The Department of Housing has this week reportedly written to landlords, asking them not to evict tenants.
Reacting to the Galway figures, city councillor Níall McNelis said anyone who receives a notice to quit should contact Threshold to ensure the eviction is legal. He said the situation in the city is an emergency.
“The data makes it clear: the housing crisis is now hitting workers with no safety net. People who contribute daily to the local economy are being told they earn ‘too much’ for supports, but ‘not enough’ to rent or buy in Galway,” he said. “This is why Labour calls what’s going on a housing ‘emergency’ that needs emergency measures; the housing ‘crisis’ is long past.”
The latest homeless figures for Galway city show that by July, 10 families were forced to immediately access homelessness services following an eviction. McNelis says he knows of one estate of around 150 houses in Knocknacarra, where 10 households are currently facing eviction, and that this pattern is likely repeated around the county.
“Galway cannot afford more displacement, or more working families pushed into crisis, and the Government must step up urgently,” said McNelis.
He said Labour is demanding that income thresholds for housing supports are raised, tenant-in-situ powers expanded, renters’ protections strengthened, and delivery of affordable and cost-rental housing accelerated.
“We argue that these numbers expose a widening gap between incomes and market rents in Galway, where even modest-income workers are priced out of the private rental sector the moment a notice to quit arrives,” added McNelis.
In its 2026 budget passed in October, Galway City Council has allocated €28m to homeless services, around 15 per cent more than last year. This figure makes up almost 18 per cent of the city’s entire €159m annual spending plan.
