Small homes flood market, raising concerns? This county has the highest vacancy rate for homes under 20 ping in six major cities

Tainan City has emerged with the highest vacancy rate for small residences under 20 ping among Taiwan's six major metropolitan areas, raising questions about housing utilization.

Data from the Ministry of the Interior reveals that in the latter half of 2025, homes under 20 ping nationwide had a low electricity consumption rate of 16.77%. Tainan City significantly surpassed this average, with over 24% of such small units showing minimal electricity use, a metric often interpreted as a sign of vacancy.

This trend is part of a broader pattern where smaller homes tend to have higher rates of low electricity usage. In Tainan, the rate for units under 20 ping was nearly double that of Taipei City's 10.75%. Conversely, larger homes generally showed lower vacancy indicators.

Despite a nationwide decrease in low-usage homes across most size categories compared to the previous period, the concentration in smaller units is notable. Real estate analysts point to the growing market trend of "small home" preferences, with transactions for homes under 30 ping now accounting for 41% of the market, aligning with the proportion of single-person households.

While the overall vacancy rate for small homes decreased in most cities, specific areas like Penghu County saw an increase. The data suggests a complex interplay between housing size, market demand, and actual property usage across different regions of Taiwan.

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Small home trends have already become a market trend. In the past 10 years, the average transaction size of existing homes in Taiwan has shrunk by about 5 ping, and the proportion of transactions for homes under 30 ping in 2025 has reached 41%, which is the same as the proportion of single-person households, reflecting that the main market demand is gradually shifting to small-sized homes.