The current housing situation in Galway, if you look at accommodation search websites and on facebook, is not great. In comparison to Dublin, where rents are dropping, it is becoming more expensive and more difficult to secure accommodation to rent. Those who are the most vulnerable financially can often be the worst hit, and include students and people in receipt of HAP payment.
Karina Timothy, Threshold's Western Regional Services Manager said that the biggest issue facing their clients is tenancy termination but that being in possession of information on their rights is essential.
"In 2020, 29% of Thresholds clients were in receipt of a social welfare payment. The biggest issue facing Threshold clients is tenancy terminatio and Notices of Termination are often invalid. Unaffordable rent and rent increases are another huge issues, as both can lead to clients facing homelessness. The law in relation to tenants’ rights is complex and they need a good housing advisor that can give advice on rights.
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"Threshold launched its web chat service in August 2020 and almost 4,000 people use used the web chat service for the erst of that year.
"The way Threshold see it, information is power. Tenants are encouraged to act for themselves and Threshold will act as an advocate or mediator with other parties if necessary and will represent tenants at RTB and WRC cases," she said.
When asked about current trends, Ms Timothy said that Threshold has noticed that up until recently, landlords could demand large amounts as a deposit. "Often deposits are retained unjustifiably. The law has changed on this since July 9 under the Residential Tenancies Act. A deposit is now limited to a month’s rent," she said.
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Galway City and County accounted for 14 percent of all queries about deposit retention made to Threshold in 2020, with a total of 196 queries made from the locations. Rents in Galway have increased according to a recent property report. In one year the rent for a double room in Galway went up by 16.2% (first quarter 2020 to the first quarter 2021 ). The average rent for a double room is now €544.
Last year many students in the west signed up for fixed term leases only to discover during the pandemic that their courses were online and the country went through several lockdowns. The good news is that there was a change in legislation which will allow students to serve a 28-day notice if they want to end the lease.
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According to the Residential Tenancies Board annual report in 2019 there were a few significant points to note.
Nationally in 2019, customer calls, emails and webchats in total increased by 7.4% to 279,426 compared to 2018. The RTB also received 6,185 applications for dispute resolution in 2019, this represents just under two per cent of tenancies registered with the RTB, demonstrating that the majority of tenancies are working well.
Almost 200 people in Galway called the housing charity Threshold this year about being unable to get their rental deposits back.
According to the Threshold's most recent tenant survey in 2021, over half (56% ) said they rent because they are unable to buy their own home. 61% wish to own their own home within five years, but only 30% expect they will be able to. Less than half (47% ) feel secure in their rented home.
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Just a quarter (26% ) of private renters surveyed by Threshold are renting by choice, the national housing charity reveals today. Threshold’s Tenant Sentiment Survey 2021 found that, while most renters would prefer to own their own home, most expect that they will not be able to do so within in the next five years.
Threshold has called on the government to deliver on a long standing promise to establish a rental deposit scheme to protect renters from this problem. Under this scheme the deposit would be held by an independent third party such as Threshold. To date, the scheme has never been enacted and it is estimated some landlords are holding sums of money that should have been returned to the tenants lawfully.
Last year, many students signed up for fixed term leases only to discover during the pandemic that their courses were online and the country went through several lockdowns. The good news is that there was a change in legislation which will allow students to serve a 28-day notice if they want to end the lease.
