With rents in Galway city now standing at an "alarming" rate of more than €1,300 per month, the Government must step in and take action to halt such an "unsustainable" increase.
This is the view of Sinn Féin TD Galway West TD Mairéad Farrell, who was reacting to the new figures published by Daft.ie in its latest quarterly report. The report shows rental properties in the city increased by nearly five per cent, with the average rent having risen to €1,363 per month.
Daft also reported that the housing stock in Connacht-Ulster was at a 15-year low with only 422 homes available to rent. It also revealed that there was a "massive rent increase" of 15 per cent for the cost of a single or double room.
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“These figures are incredibly alarming," she said. "The rental crisis is getting worse. Rents are too high and in many places are continuing to rise. All the while there is no response from the Minister for Housing, Darragh O’Brien.”
Dep Farrell noted that Budget 2021 did not include "a single measure to protect renters" or to halt rent hikes. "There was no funding to deliver the volume of affordable cost rental accommodation that our city urgently needs," she said, "despite the unsustainably high levels of rent in Galway.”
