The head of the Construction Industry Federation, has said the Central Bank should recognise tenants' track record of paying rent when they apply for a mortgage.

The CIF has said potential homeowners are struggling to buy a house under current rules for deposits from the Central Bank.

The group, which represents builders, has said 25,000 housing units are needed to meet demand, but developers are reluctant to build if mortgages are not available for buyers.

Director General of the Construction Industry Federation, Tom Parlon, has said the Central Bank should give credit to people who have a track-record of renting, to make it easier for them to get a mortgage: “the typical first time buyer now, the typical people getting married now are older, because they haven’t been buying for the last number of years.

“So the chances are they have been renting for a period, they could be paying €1600 a month, that is €19,000 a year and they have a track record of that.

“Their actual mortgage would actually be less than that in a lot of situations.”