The latest Daft.ie rental report for the second quarter of 2021 makes for ‘grim reading’, Galway East Sinn Féin’s Louis O’Hara has said.
The report indicated that rents have increased by 14.2% in County Galway over the past year and that the average asking rent in County Galway is now €1,054 – 14.2% higher than the same period last year.
Average rents in Galway City have also risen significantly up to €1,443, 9% higher than last year.
“The report indicates that rental supply is low with only 800 homes available to rent outside of Dublin,” said Mr O’Hara.
“Darragh O’Brien has now been in office for over a year and the rental crisis is worse than it was under both Fine Gael housing ministers Simon Coveney and Eoghan Murphy.”
The Sinn Féin representative said that if the government had done what was necessary and banned rent increases at an earlier stage, many hard-pressed renters would have been saved from these rent hikes.
“As it stands, we do not know how many of the 390 cost rental units promised for this year will actually be delivered,” he said.
Mr O’Hara called for the government to commit to a dramatic increase in capital investment in affordable housing to rent and buy.
“They must also ban rent increases for three years, and introduce a refundable tax credit for renters that would put one month’s rent back in every renter’s pocket.
“We need to see affordable cost rental homes delivered at scale where they are needed. We also need the Minister to commit to investigating the disorderly exit of landlords from the market.”
