Homeless charities and politicians have slammed the Government over the latest devastating Daft.ie rental report.
The shocking analysis has revealed that rents in Ireland are at their highest ever and are continuing to go up at record speeds, 12.6% year on year, while at the same time the numbers of properties listed for rent are at their lowest numbers since Daft.ie’s records began.
Rent is now at its highest ever nationally at €1,618, up a staggering €100 a month from just April to June, while in Dublin they are now at an eye-watering €2,170 a month.
Read More: Daft rent report 'paints dire picture' as housing charity calls for intervention
The national average in 2011 was €765, the lowest it ever was in the history of the daft,ie reports, and less than half what it is now.
And the crisis doesn’t look like easing anytime soon.
The rental crisis is further exacerbated by the fact that there are now fewer houses available on the market to rent than at any time since the Daft.ie reports began 15 years ago.
There are only 716 properties listed nationally on the Daft.ie register, down from just under 2,500 a year ago.
People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy has said that the most recent Daft.ie report shows that the housing and rental crisis continues to deteriorate at a frightening pace.
He said that the Government has “sat on its hands” while the chronic crisis continues to get worse.
Mr Murphy said: “The rental and housing crisis has yet again reached a new low.
“With this report showing that the availability of rental properties is the lowest ever and prices are 12.6% from this time last year it shows that the government has sat on its hands and done very little to address the crisis.
“Our rental model in this country where we rely on private landlords to house so many people is deeply flawed.
“What we need are radical measures including the declaration by the government of a housing emergency.
“Instead of a reliance on the market to deliver housing, we need socialist policies which put the right of people to a home before landlords’ and developers’ profits.
“We need an emergency public house building programme which builds mass numbers of public houses on public land.
“It is also abundantly clear that we need real rent controls and to actually cut rents and bring them back to affordable levels.
Threshold is asking “how bad does the rental crisis have to get for State intervention to bring relief for private renters?”
The housing charity’s Chief Executive, John-Mark McCafferty, said that the increases have been particularly severe in areas not protected by the RPZ (Rent Protection Zoe) rules.
He said: “In Donegal, Leitrim and Longford for example, increases range from €140 to €165 a month.
“This is the cost of a child’s uniform or their schoolbooks for a new school year and is resulting in increased financial strain on families already struggling to pay the bills.
“Those looking to rent a room have experienced unjustifiable increases in rents with prices up an average of 15% year-on-year in every large town and city in the country.
“Those renting a single room will pay approximately an extra €100 month compared to last year, at a time when inflation is almost 10%.”
READ MORE:
- Urgent warning for Irish bank users over text and call scams with people losing out on €1,700
- New 30% tax rate could benefit one million Irish workers if introduced
- Kerry crash victim was visiting Italian tourist as part of motorbike group
- Andrew McGinley divorcing wife who killed his kids but fears losing family home
- Gang boss Mr Flashy involved in daylight street brawl in Finglas, Dublin
Get breaking news to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter
