‘For people who are paying their rent, this is very unfair' – Louth councillor hits out at millions owed in rent arrears
Local councillors have been voicing their concerns about the rising level of monies owed in back rent, with the issue being frequently highlighted at municipal and county council meetings.
An update on rent management is published every month by the council in their monthly management report, with the July figure standing at €3,996,922.
The multi-million euro debts are much greater than in other counties in the region, where rental arrears are significantly lower.
Monaghan County Council confirmed that as of July 31st, the rental arrears were €508,561, which is almost €3.5million less than in County Louth.
Meanwhile in Meath, the figure is on average €1.9 million less than the rental arrears owed in Louth.
A spokesman for Meath County Council said that 'As of 31st July, the total collection of rents is 85%. There are 4,902 Rent and Rental Accommodation Scheme customers and currently 823 are in a payment plan, which represents 16.7% of tenancies. As of 31 July 2025, 849 tenancies are in arrears of over four weeks. The total arrears outstanding is €2.11m.'
Speaking at the July meeting of Louth County Council, Cllr. Pio Smith described the €4.1 million owed in Louth as: 'A very significant amount of money, which seems to be growing year on year.'
He said that of the 1,088 accounts which owe rents greater than 12 weeks, less than half were in a repayment plan, and asked what impact this has on the council's ability to carry out maintenance and other duties.
Cllr. Smith said he acknowledged that Louth County Council were 'doing all that they can to address this issue.' He added: 'My own belief is this needs to be addressed nationally,' and asked if the local authority 'has all the tools it needs to tackle this.'
'I do believe that for people who are paying their rent, this is very unfair.'
Cllr. Kevin Meenan said this was 'a huge amount of money' and asked if the council had a support unit similar to a mortgage arrears unit, where banks would focus on accounts in debt.
He called for a more in-depth report on the issue 'to look at where a lot of the arrears are coming from, whether they are first time tenants, or second time tenants etc, and in what geographical area these arrears are emerging.'
"I do get the fact that there are people out there who do not pay, and they are hard to deal with, they have no interest in paying. But there are a lot of people out there with other issues, and we can't just treat them all the same..the people who won't pay and the people who want to pay, but can't pay.'
Cllr. Maeve Yore said that when she was first elected to Louth County Council the arrears stood at over €5 million.
"Successive governments haven't addressed the rent arrears problem over all the local authorities, nationally there has to be a conversation around paying at source, similar to what people do when they are paying their mortgage.'
She added: 'It is having an impact on our maintenance programme,' saying that the monies owed to the local authority could help provide homes for the thousands of people on the social housing waiting list.
"Can we consult with other local authorities, with less rent arrears, and look at how we can do things differently?'
Cllr. Marianne Butler said rental arrears 'should be tracked around the country' through the National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC), the independent oversight body for the local government sector.
"That way, we could have a breakdown of arrears, and we would know how we are doing in comparison to the rest of the country, and how big of a problem this is nationwide, as well as county-wide.'
Declan Grimes, from Louth County Council's Housing section, told the meeting that the impact of the rental arrears was 'significant' and one that the local authority was 'very conscious of.'
'Looking at the figures, it is substantial the number of accounts that are in arrears.'
He outlined how the council work to address the issue, with rent managers engaging regularly with tenants who are in arrears, to encourage them to enter into payment plans, or to look at other issues.
The council also impose maintenance restrictions on tenants who are in rental debt, whereby work won't ordinarily be carried out on their property unless they engage with the council about the monies they owe.
He admitted that it was 'a complex issue, with some tenants who won't pay, and some tenants who can't pay.'
He added that the local authority would examine the accounts in more detail to look at whether the issue was more common in specific areas or housing estates, but said the council's objective was to 'work very closely with tenants who are behind in their payments.'
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