Little room left for downsizers

Older people are often encouraged to move to smaller homes, but it is easier said than done in a market dominated by buy-to-let developments

The next census is expected to give us a better picture of how many one- and two-person households there are in the country Pic: Getty

There isn’t much comfort for property downsizers – or “right-sizers”, as estate agents insist on calling them - in the news that build-to-rent apartment developments appear to be overtaking the building of private family homes in greater Dublin.

For older people looking to move into smaller properties, there is a shortage of units to buy, and rents can be extremely high with insufficient security of tenure.

The days when retirees dreamed of a ...