Lack of supply continues to push rents upwards
- Labour Seanad motion to end scourge of vacancy to be debated Wednesday
Labour Senator Mark Wall said the failure of Government to increase housing supply continues to send rents soaring nationwide.
Responding to the Daft.ie report published today, Senator Wall said:
“The cost of renting continues to go through the roof while we wait for more houses to be built.
“In my own Kildare, rents remain totally unaffordable for working people. A one bed apartment costs people €1,196 per month, while a three bed is up 5.6% to €1,689 a month. Rents across the county of Kildare are up 6.2% year on year.
“Wages are not keeping up making it utterly unaffordable for hardworking people and families
“Government keeps saying that houses can’t be built overnight, but with Fine Gael in power for over a decade, it’s difficult to buy their spin any longer.
“It’s galling to see the number of vacant and derelict properties lying empty nationwide when we see people on the hard edge of the housing crisis, like renters, continue to face unaffordable rents and insecure housing.
“Having one home lying empty in the depths of a housing crisis is a scandal. We know that supply is the key issue driving rents and insecurity for people. Why Government have failed to tackle this issue head on beggars belief.
“There’s under 1,800 homes available to rent in Ireland at present. Meanwhile, census estimates suggest that 166,752 properties are lying totally idle nationwide. It’s outrageous, particularly when we know that almost 13,000 people are living in homelessness.”