Housing supply continues to be an issue, with more and more people trying to get on the property ladder.
However a growing number of people have chosen to swim that ladder instead - by living on a houseboat.
Over the past few years more and more people have decided to call a boat their home.
Reporter Josh Crosbie for Newstalk Breakfast went to speak to some people living on barge boats on the Royal Canal in Dublin's Castleknock.
Colm has been on his boat for two years, and says he'd be hard pressed to change back.
"I had been renting for just over 10 years when I separated, and it was really a ridiculous waste of money.
"I had been looking at my options: was I going to buy a bit of land... and then the boat - I'd been around boats a long time.
"I was a diver and a swimmer, so the boat seemed like a nice option - I thought I'd give it a try."
But Colm said there are things people need to consider before taking to the water permanently.
"There's elements that are a challenge: I carry every drop of water I use here, I have to carry it onboard.
"You're carrying it all on in 20-litre containers, pumping your sewage out is a challenge [and] the lack of facilities for waste disposal.
"If they could allow us have bins here that we'll pay for, and all that, it would really, really help - and give us water, electricity and a pump out - that'd be fantastic."
Áine said she chose a boat for a number of reasons.
"I was struggling to find somewhere to rent, the prices were going up, and I have three dogs as well - which can be an issue sometimes.
"It meant I couldn't rent a room somewhere, I'd have to have a place by myself.
"I used to walk my dogs down here, I was living locally, and I got chatting to one of the boaters and I just decided to go for it.
"And [it was the] best decision I ever made."
"It's your own - I'd find it strange going back to land after all this time.
"It's a nice way of life, because it brings you back to basics".
And she said more and more people are looking at boats as an alternative to housing.
"When I bought my boat there was only four boats here - and I remember coming up on the train about a week after I bought the boat, and there was 17.
"It took off very quickly - but again, it's not for everyone.
"You have to be willing to make sacrifices and to adapt to that way of life."
Luis, who has a newborn baby, said he was actually close to getting a property.
"We were very close to buying two properties - we got the mortgage and it was approved.
"With all the situations, we just decided to fully commit to the water.
"We had a boat that we were using as a holiday home, and we grew to love it, and we said we were ready for this.
"I think it was a good decision: now, as the number of people is increasing, more people are actually starting to ask for rights and responsibilities."
On having a baby on the barge, he said: "Just having a baby on its own is challenging... in the case of here, I don't really see any challenge, different from living in a house."
Many boatowners are calling on Waterways Ireland to make it easier, by installing more facilities.
Alan Kelly is president of the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland (IWAI).
He explained: "There has been an increase in recent months and years in the number of people purchasing boats to live aboard.
"And it's increasing at quite a rate over the last year or so.
"It's hard to pinpoint exact reasons, but I'd say certainly people looking for a place to live, to get some accommodation - whether they're students, or starting into the world of work in the city."
And he offered this advice to potential houseboat owners: "The first thing to do is you go into this with your eyes open.
"Buying a boat is not the same as living in a house or an apartment.
"There's additional considerations with regard to maintenance and responsibility in relation to the environment and so on."
He added that "progress is being made" in the area of regulation.
You can listen back to the full report from Josh Crosbie here:
