Last week, we were reminded of the outrageous rise in rent prices when a family of seven was shown sleeping in a garda station.
The mum, Margaret Cash, was fortunate enough to receive an apartment from the Dublin City Council after her story went viral.
But most of us aren’t so lucky.
Rent prices have been rapidly rising over the past seven years, increasing by 75% since 2011, according to the recent Daft Rental Report.
Across the nation, rent has hit record highs, making it the highest it has ever been.
Accommodation charges have exceeded the previous price peak in 2016 by 27%.
These latest statistics show the depths of the housing crisis’ reach and how much the economic issue has affected Irish all over the country.
Naturally, rent prices are most costly in major cities. In Dublin, accommodation rates have exceeded their preceding records by 34% and in Cork, they’ve risen by 25%.
However, rates in Galway have seen the worst of it, with rents increasing 41% above levels recorded a little over a decade ago.
Even country folk and families residing in the suburbs have been faced with outrageous rent rates. People outside of major cities have seen a 17% increase above previous rent peaks.
Many properties are free from rent caps, contributing to overpriced rent and causing people to tragically lose their homes.
Although the Government has claimed it is providing housing solutions for 350 new households, the Daft report published today proves that more needs to be done to remedy the situation.
John-Mark McCafferty, chief executive of national housing charity, Threshold, commented on the current crisis:
“Consecutive governments have done little to stop this, leaving families right across the country struggling to keep a roof over their heads.”
The statistics are startling and prove further the extent of the accommodation issue. Hopefully, we will be able to begin a road to the resolution of the housing crisis soon.
