Tallaght rent crisis reaches all time low with only 12 properties available
By Mary Dennehy
THIS week there were 12 properties on Daft.ie to rent in Tallaght, an “alarming” number which is the lowest one local auctioneer has seen in more than a decade.
The chronic supply shortage in the rental market couldn’t have been clearer this week when an online search for ‘properties to rent in Tallaght’ presented only 12 options – a staggering figure in light of the thousands of houses and apartments across the area.
Alongside highlighting the lack of properties, the excessively high rents people are expected to pay was also evident.
The properties to rent on Daft.ie this week included a four-bed house on Bancroft Road for €2,000 per month, a three-bed apartment in Priorsgate, Main Road, Tallaght, for €1,800, a two-bed apartment in Deerpark for €1,350, a one-bed apartment in Tallaght Cross for €1,150 and a three-bed duplex in Belfry Grove, Citywest, for €1,550.
There was also one bedroom in a house in Rossfield available to rent for €600.
When contacted by The Echo, Justin Prendiville, Lettings Manager with REA McGee said: “Ten years ago there were a consistent 150 plus properties to rent in the area, this fell to a low of around 50 properties around two years ago.
“The 12 properties available to rent in Tallaght is the lowest I have seen for 12 years…and is alarming.
“This low supply is commonplace in some of the more sought after areas…[and] in fairness to Tallaght it has more to offer than a lot of other areas, so it’s no great surprise that it’s popular – especially with the lower income earners.”
He added: “Our two bed apartment at Deerpark [which is on Daft.ie for €1,350] would have achieved a rent closer to €1,000per month two years ago – so that’s an increase of 35 per cent in two years.
“Increases like this cannot continue and government intervention is essential.”
According to Mr Prendiville, REA McGee is inundated with applicants to view rental properties.
“This number has increased dramatically in recent years, but that is to be expected with a shortage in supply and on average we are receiving up to 100 inquiries per property, but can unfortunately only rent it to one”, he said.
“The only solution is to increase the number of units coming to market through the construction of new homes.”
Dublin South West Sinn Fein TD Sean Crowe recently spoke out about Dublin’s rent increases not matching wages.
He said: “According to Daft.ie the average rent in Dublin is running at €1,520, that’s 5.2 per cent higher than during the peak Celtic Tiger levels.
“For someone on the average monthly wage of €2,980 living in Dublin, rent for a house will swallow up 51 per cent of their pre-tax wage.
“That is huge chunk of anyone’s salary, which means that buying the average house in Dublin is virtually a no-go area for a person on the average wage.”
Deputy Crowe also stated that the Government needs to recognise rent certainty, with a Sinn Fein Bill on rent certainty defeated in the Dail before the summer recess.
When contacted by The Echo, Dublin Mid-West Fianna Fail TD John Curran, who was the Chair of the Oireachtas Housing Committee, said that rent certainty, which could keep prices from continuously creeping up, was not off the table.
“All sides are in favour of rent certainty”, Deputy Curran said.
“However, the Government wants to get more advice on how to introduce it while keeping the market attractive for investors – we don’t want to put landlords out of business.
“We are also looking at security of tenure and other measures to assist those in the rental market.”
He added: “Ultimately, however, there is a huge supply shortage and we need a dynamic build programme of both local authority and private homes…which will have a huge impact on the rental market.
“We also need to identify unused properties and bring them back into use, this won’t be a solution but it could help alleviate the situation.”
