The average rent for all dwellings let in County Westmeath in Q4 2014, and which were registered with the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB ), was €537. That was down €2 when compared to the prevailing average rent in Q4 2013, when the amount was €539.
This data comes from the PRTB’s Quarterly Rent Index which is compiled by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI ) for the board. It is the most accurate and authoritative rent report of its kind on the private accommodation sector in Ireland. This is because it is based on the actual rents being paid, according to the PRTB’s records, as distinct from the asking or advertised rent. It is important to bear in mind that the average rent cited above is based on rents registered with the PRTB for all dwelling types (houses and apartments - one, two, or more rooms ).
However, if people are interested in seeing the rent that applies to different dwelling types (number of bedrooms ) and for different locations, they can check this out at www.prtb.ie (click “rent index” ) and go to the Average Rents in my Area (Dataset ).
In 2014, rents in the private rented sector for the whole country rose by 5.8 per cent, with rent for houses up 4.8 per cent and apartment rents up 6.4 per cent, as compared with Q4 2013. This annual rate of change reflected different performances by location and by property type.
At a national level, monthly rent levels rose at a more moderate rate in Q4 2014, increasing by 0.6 per cent when compared to Q3; up from €824 to €829; nationally the quarterly growth rate in Q3 had been 2.1 per cent. Looking at trends in more detail, monthly rents for houses were lower in Q4 2014 when compared to Q3 2014, down by 0.6 per cent quarter on quarter; down from €819 to €813. In contrast, rents for apartments were 1.2 per cent higher than in Q3 2014; up from €845 to €855.
