There is growing concern among Government representatives, as over a third of housing offers have been rejected by applicants.
Refusal figures are reportedly as high as 49pc in Cork county, 46pc in Waterford, 42pc in counties Roscommon and Donegal and 40pc in Cork City.
And in Dublin City, an area hit hard by the housing crisis, almost one in five families are said to have rejected offers.
The reasons given for refusing an offer range from poor access to facilities and amenities, or because they simply don’t like the area or the house itself.
Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly is reportedly seeking the introduction of new rules to tackle these high refusal rates.