AIB says that the latest census shows that population growth is driving housing demand but that more properties are being left vacant which it says represents a potential threat to the housing market.
The bank says that the publication of the census data shows that there were 182,679 additional households between the two Census dates, averaging 45,700 each year.
However, this is 53,700 that the bank had previously assumed, and according to the Census report, there were 266,000 vacant properties on Census night in 2006, which is a vacancy rate of 15% of the housing stock.
AIB says that if this was adjusted for the 11,000 properties which were occupied by tourists/visitors on Census night, they the vacancy rate increases to 15.6%.
