Record high rents in Galway City have been criticised as failure of the government to manage the housing market.
The latest Daft.ie report found that rents in Galway County have increased 12.4% in the past year, with things in worse in the city, which has seen a 16.4% year on year rent increase.
Former city councillor Mark Lohan of Sinn Féin said that people in Galway deserve to have “security of tenure”, and the ability to secure decent housing.
Mr Lohan criticised deficiencies in the Housing For All Plan, which he said has “not even begun to address” the housing crisis.
He was also critical of a decision by the city council to vote against zoning land at the Cappagh Road for residential usage.
“Both occurrences, this past week, just scream out ineptness and miserable ability. They provide no hope for thousands of our citizens facing evictions, couch surfing or trapped in substandard circumstances.”
“Every Galway citizen deserves to have security of tenure, deserves to be able to rent or buy depending on their income and deserves to have the opportunity to have a minimum standard of housing that is decent, safe, and secure.”
He added that an increase in the construction of social, affordable, and private homes is needed to address the housing crisis.
In Galway city, the average rent now stands at €1,663, while elsewhere in the county it is €1,184.
The report shows that one-bedroom apartments in the city are on average €1,110, and four-bedroom houses are €1,923 per month.
For a single bedroom in a shared house in the city, people can expect to pay €588, while a double bedroom will set them back €633.
