Investment and vulture funds bulk purchased 293 homes last year compared to a high of 675 in 2023, according to figures from the Revenue Commissioners.
Tánaiste Simon Harris told the Dáil on Tuesday that 189 homes were subject to the higher 10 per cent stamp duty in 2021 while the figure for 2022 was 454 homes.
In 2023, the number of homes purchased in bulk was 675, which fell to 396 in 2024.
The Minister for Finance said the figure for 2025 was 293.
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A high stamp duty rate of 10 per cent was introduced in 2021 to restrict the bulk purchase of homes after a public outcry over the purchase of multiple units in housing estates by investment or vulture funds.
The rate applied where a person acquired at least 10 properties in any 12-month period.
The Tánaiste said the trend in such sales was downward. The stamp duty increase along with changes in the planning guidelines were having an impact and investment funds were “net sellers of homes. They are now selling more homes in Ireland than they are buying.”
But Sinn Féin finance spokesman Pearse Doherty accused Harris of “allowing vulture funds to buy up family homes” despite promising he was going to end the practice.
The Donegal TD said “293 homes were snapped up by corporate landlords” in 2025 despite the Tánaiste pledging it was “not to be tolerated”.
He said the Government is “sitting by and allowing vulture funds to buy up family homes, a practice you promised over and over again that you would end”.
“When you were taoiseach you wrote to the finance minister saying not enough was being done to stop the bulk purchasing of homes.
“You argued the bulk purchasing of homes intended for first-time buyers cannot be tolerated.
“It appears now you’ve tolerated 293 of them being bulk purchased last year.”
People wanted these as their “forever homes and vulture funds are buying them up because they have unlimited means”.
He called on the Minister to “stop tinkering around the edges” and to “end this practice”.
He said “vulture funds pay no tax on the rental income. This is why they can pay your tax.”
However, the Minister stressed institutional investors were now selling more homes than they were buying. He added they were keeping the issue under annual review in the budget.
“We have seen the positive impact, and we will continue to monitor this very closely,” Harris said.
