Cllr Niall McNelis wants the Government to introduce an immediate rent freeze.
Following a Daft report showing that the average rent in Galway is now €1,504 up by 8.8 per cent from the end of 2020 and a 115.5 per cent increase in the last decade, Cllr Mc Nelis is calling for action to be taken. “It is clear from these figures that there are widespread breaches of rent pressure zones which are unfit for purpose,” he says.
“Rents in Galway are soaring, renters cannot save for a deposit for a house and are trapped paying through the teeth just to keep a roof over their heads. It is not affordable to working people and Government need to grab the bull by the horns and introduce an immediate rent freeze.”
Cllr Mc Nelis believes the current situation is not sustainable. “The average rent in Galway for a one-bedroom apartment is now €1,026 up 11.9 per cent, €1,207 for a two bedroom house up 11.5 per cent and €1,407 for a three bedroom house up 11.6 per cent in the last quarter of 2021,” he adds. “That is simply not sustainable.
“We need a rent freeze until supply catches up with demand. There were just 188 homes available to rent in Connacht and Ulster on February 1, the second lowest ever in a series extending back to 2006 - the pre-Covid average during 2019 was 600.
