Article

Sustainability & Value Creation in the Private Rental Sector

April 15, 2025 10 Minute Read

Dublin now has a maturing, professionally managed private rental sector, with domestic, European and U.S. investment funds owning and operating a combined 34,000 units.
The sector has clearly scaled, but the bulk of the buildings in the Dublin market do not have top-tier sustainability credentials under the LEED, WELL or BREEAM certification systems.
In this report we outline two important recent case studies where landlords have implemented strategies to achieve the BREEAM In-Use ‘Excellent’ credential to draw additional investor interest and to protect and potentially enhance value.
Those buildings that achieve the highest certification go above and beyond what is required in the building regulations. Particularly for residential assets, aspects that encourage community and wellbeing score well.
With the potential for some loosening of rent control policy in the Dublin market coming in 2025, CBRE expects to see an increased level of capital targeting the residential sector and landlords should act now to seek out ways to achieve this credential in advance of a sale process.