Post-coronavirus pandemic remote working will put house prices outside cities ‘under pressure’, a new report from Bank of Ireland found.

Homeowners across the country also expect prices to keep going up this year, the latest Bank of Ireland Economic Pulse shows.

In fact, the ‘housing pulse’ hit its highest level since the series began, although it only started in 2016.

The report states: "Households in all regions upped their expectations for future house price gains in February, with those in the Rest of Leinster [other than Dublin] and Munster leading the way.

"The world of work was upended by the pandemic, and while a return to the office is underway, legislation giving employees the right to request remote working means that some people may decide to relocate outside of Dublin.

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"Absent sufficient supply, additional demand will put upward pressure on house prices in other parts of the country, however."

Property prices outside Dublin are rising by an average of 15.4% compared to 13.1% in the city, official figures show.

It is believed the housing problem will make attracting much-needed workers from abroad more difficult, and more than a third of firms called for further investment in housing to strengthen local economies and the business environment.