Dublin rents continue to rise as number of available rental properties fall

The average rent in Dublin has increased by 2.8% since the same period last year and the number of rental properties available in the capital is down 70% from the peak in 2009, according to the latest report published by Ireland’s biggest property website, Daft.ie. The average rent nationwide is now €820, which is 0.8% higher than a year previously.

The performance of rents in the other major cities varied, with Galway experiencing a 2.2% rise over the last twelve months, Cork remaining largely stable (-0.4%) and Limerick and Waterford experiencing 2.2% and 4.0% falls respectively. Rents outside the main cities rose 1% in the third quarter of 2012 but remain 1.5% lower than a year previously.

Commenting on the report, Dr. Lorcan Sirr, Lecturer in Housing, DIT said; “The numbers of individuals and families renting has rocketed in the last five years. Across Ireland, about 29% of all people now rent, with 18.5% renting from the private sector. This is roughly the same level as in the mid-1950s. But what is more interesting is the speed of change: numbers renting in the private sector have increased by 86% since 2006.”

Ronan Lyons, Economist at Daft.ie, said: “The latest Daft.ie Rental Report shows continued falls in the available number of rental properties nationwide, but most significantly in Dublin. There are now fewer properties on the market than at any point since early 2007, when there were significantly fewer people renting. After close to two years of static prices in the capital, this change in supply appears to be impacting rents in Dublin, which have risen just ahead of inflation over the last two years.”

Year-on-year change in rents – major cities, Q3 2012:

The full report is available from www.daft.ie/report and includes a commentary by Dr. Lorcan Sirr, Lecturer in housing at Dublin Institute of Technology, as well as an analysis of affordability and statistics on residential yields around the country.