IPAV'S Chief Executive says that owners need an incentive to put these houses forward.
More vacant commercial properties need to be brought on stream for housing, according to the Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers.
The organisation is making the call as it will be hosting its European Valuation conference in Dublin today.
There are currently 30 thousand empty commercial buildings around the country, while the national residential vacany stands at just under 4 percent.
Chief Executive of IPAV, Castlepollard's Pat Davitt, says owners need to be incentivised to put these spaces on the market: