Advance diary notification: HBFI – SME housebuilder market research

KPMG is conducting a market research study on behalf of Home Building Finance Ireland (HBFI), focusing on the SME Housebuilding sector within the Irish residential market.

This research aims to provide HBFI and the wider residential development market with a clearer understanding of the SME sector’s contribution to housing delivery and its capacity to scale. It will also explore:

• Barriers and challenges faced by SMEs
• Opportunities for scaling and increasing housing delivery
• Funding availability and access to finance
• Practical steps and supports that could help improve conditions for the sector

The findings will support HBFI’s and the broader public and private sectors’ knowledge of the SME sector and potentially identify interventions that may help accelerate the new supply of residential units.  The findings will also inform HBFI’s existing product offering to ensure it is meeting the needs of its borrowers.

Findings from the research will be published by HBFI in Quarter 1 2026.

KPMG would greatly appreciate your input to the study through completion of a short survey covering these topics: HBFI – Market Research – Survey

In addition, KPMG will be hosting focus groups with SME developers in Dublin, Cork, Galway, and Limerick to gather more qualitative insights and explore opportunities and challenges in greater depth. Those focus groups will be small (less than 10 participants) and will deploy Chatham House rules to facilitate open and robust discussion. Focus groups will take place over the course of January 2026, with specific dates and locations available via the registration link. We’d encourage you to participate to ensure your voice is heard and help shape recommendations that benefit the SME contractor and developer community and improve conditions more broadly for the sector.

• Dublin: 23rd January, 12:00, KPMG Ireland, 2 Harbourmaster Place, IFSC, Dublin 1
• Cork: 22nd January, 12:00. KPMG Ireland, 85 South Mall, Cork, T12 A3XN
• Galway: 21st January, 12:00, KPMG Ireland, Dockgate, Dock Road, Galway, H91 V6RR
• Limerick: 26th January, 12:00, 2pm, The Strand Hotel, Limerick City

If you are interested in participating, please register via the event page link: HBFI – Focus Group – Registration

Please note: All responses will remain anonymous, and individual contributors will not be identified in the final report, to HBFI or any other published outputs.

Thank you for your time and support.