URGENT action has been called for locally following the publication of the latest Daft rental price report, which found rents have risen by 7.2 per cent nationally and by an alarming 21 per cent in Limerick over the past quarter.
This marks the fifteenth consecutive quarter of rising rents, underscoring the ongoing crisis in Ireland’s private rental market.
Labour Party councillor and general election hopeful Conor Sheehan told the Limerick Post that he believes the findings of this report are no surprise to anyone living on Shannonside.
“The Daft report confirms what renters in Limerick and across the country already know – the rental market in Ireland is broken, leaving families and individuals struggling under the crushing weight of skyrocketing rents and constant fear of eviction,” Cllr Sheehan told the Limerick Post.
“We are bombarded with reports highlighting the same problems: rents are spiralling out of control, and renters are left in precarious situations, unable to plan for their future. Rent in Limerick has increased by 21 per cent, which is pushing ordinary people to breaking point.”
Cllr Sheehan alleged that Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and the Greens in government have “utterly failed to protect renters”.
“That’s why we in Labour published our New Deal for Renters’ Plan. Renters in Limerick and across Ireland remain trapped, spending disproportionate amounts of their income on rent and living in fear of eviction at any moment. This cannot continue,” he added.
“It’s clear that Ireland cannot stay on the current trajectory. The private rental market should provide secure, affordable, and stable homes. Yet in Limerick, renters are facing insecurity, unaffordability, and constant upheaval. Labour has a vision for renters, that protects people in their homes. This crisis cannot be allowed to deepen any further – renters deserve better.”
Social Democrats councillor and general election candidate Elisa O’Donovan also considers the latest Daft figures an indictment of this government’s handling of the housing issue.
“Wages have not gone up by 80 per cent in the lifetime of this government. Yet, the sky appears to be the limit when it comes to rents,” she said.
“Under this government, renters are expected to work their lives away just to hand the majority of their wages over to their landlord. That’s if they are lucky enough to find a place to live.
“Is it any wonder that so many people have lost hope of every owning their own home or that home ownership rates are at the lowest rate in more than 50 years?”
The Social Democrats too have published an affordable housing plan that Cllr O’Donovan says would deliver 75,000 affordable homes over the next five years.
“This will give people a chance to move on from the private rental sector into a secure home where they can put down roots and spend more of their hard-earned money on things that matter to them. It will also boost supply in the rental market, meaning prices come down,” she said.
“Limerick city renters have been left behind for far too long by Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil. Their failure will not be forgotten on election day.”
