With rents in the country approaching boom-time levels and mortgage lending falling, 32 per cent of people think the next Government should build more houses itself as a first step towards solving the housing problem in Ireland.
This is according to research from Royal London, who recently commissioned a nationwide survey of 1,000 people to see how they think the housing crisis can be tackled. The survey also revealed that 28 per cent of people think the Government should apply strict rent controls and 21 per cent think the red tape around building new homes should be cut.
Joe Charles of Royal London said: “Property and housing is a huge issue facing this country at the moment, and it is very much at the forefront of people’s minds. Supply shortages, lending restrictions and a lack of funding to deal with housing and homeless issues, are really impacting the lives of thousands of Irish people and families. So it stands to reason that there are some strong views out there on this topic. With that in mind, our survey findings will be of interest to many, including perhaps our next Government.”
The survey results revealed that more men than women are in favour of the Government building more houses themselves (35 per cent versus 29 per cent ), but more women than men (34 per cent versus 22 per cent ) would rather see strict rent controls put in place.
With rents having increased by 9.8 per cent nationally last year, it is unsurprising that 35 per cent of 18-34 year olds want to see strict rent controls, whereas just one in five of those older than 55 thinks this is the answer.
“The housing crisis was a major issue for many of the electorate in the recent General Election and the next administration will be faced with a big challenge to help rectify it,” Mr Charles said. “As our Royal London survey reveals, for many it is a priority for the Government to address this growing problem, but with no one simple answer as a solution.”
