Seventeen per cent of all houses and apartments in Ireland are vacant, according to a shocking new survey released by University College Dublin.

One in five homes outside Dublin are now vacant and house prices are still way too high as a multiple of people’s salaries says the report, which has just been released.

In Dublin, one in twelve housing units are vacant.

The survey shows for the first time the incredible fall off in house sales since the Celtic Tiger boom went bust.

The UCD report shows that 345,000 homes and apartments are now vacant throughout Ireland, and the report claims that Ireland has close to 200,000 homes and properties that may never be occupied.

Sellers are still insisting on high prices, but the market simply will not support that says the UCD report, which was compiled over the past few months.