Latest news with #rentpressurezone
Irish Times
24-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Majority of calls to housing charity concerned about tenancy being ended
Over half of all queries to housing charity Threshold were from people concerned about having their tenancy terminated, the charity's latest report has found. Some 35 per cent of all queries to the charity from April to June 2025 concerned termination, while 17 per cent were more general queries around that event. The majority who contacted Threshold were working professionals , with 46 per cent stating wages as their main source of income. Threshold is a national housing charity that advises and advocates for tenants experiencing housing problems. The charity's second quarter of 2025 impact report shows that more than 8,500 households were supported by its advisers in the last quarter, including more than 11,400 adults and in excess of 7,000 children. [ Safeguards for tenants who live outside Rent Pressure Zones to be brought forward Opens in new window ] Of the new households that contacted the charity since April last, 1,595 were at risk of homelessness. Threshold helped 951 families to stay in their homes or find a new home in this time. The charity welcomed the extension of Rent Pressure Zone rules countrywide and said it wanted all renters to know their rights regarding this. [ This is a housing strategy written by Flann O'Brien Opens in new window ] At the end of June, all of the Republic was classified as an RPZ , meaning rents in current tenancies cannot be increased by more than 2 per cent, or the rate of inflation, whichever is lower. Landlords in the new RPZ areas must wait 24 months from the date of the last rent review before reviewing the rent again. After this, increases can be applied every 12 months. The report references a woman who contacted the charity and was spared a large rent increase by the expansion of the RPZ rules. [ Housing RPZs: What will a new rental regulation system mean for renters? Opens in new window ] Her landlord wanted to increase her rent by 62 per cent, something she was unable to pay. But on the day she rang Threshold for advice, the announcement of the nationwide application of the rules meant that increase was no longer possible. She had not received an official notice of review, and so any rent appraisal from then on would have to follow the rules. While she was relieved to hear this news, she remains apprehensive about damaging her relationship with the landlord. 'You're stuck in a situation of, 'other people are willing to pay this, so you have to pay this or go'. That's what it feels like the options are,' she told the charity.
BreakingNews.ie
15-05-2025
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Persistently high rents in Galway to be investigated amid ‘unusual' trends in data
Persistently high rents in Co Galway will be investigated by the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) following "unusual" trends noted in its latest rental index. The RTB said Galway had experienced eight consecutive quarters of high growth in rent prices for new tenancies. The entire county is a rent pressure zone, meaning rents cannot be increased by more than 2 per cent per year. Advertisement A statement from the RTB said it would engage directly with renters, landlords and other rental sector stakeholders in Galway this June to investigate the trend further. It will also host a forum to address rental law compliance. According to the RTB's latest rent index, the average monthly rent for new tenancies in Galway City was €1,730 in the fourth quarter of last year. Nationally, the standardised average rent for new tenancies rose by 5.5 per cent year-on-year to €1,680 in the final three months of 2024. It rose by 4.6 per cent year-on-year for existing tenancies nationally to €1,440 in Q4 2024. The RTB said this was "a moderation" on the rates of rent increases seen earlier in 2024. Advertisement The board also published eight sanctions against landlords based in Galway for breaches of rental law. Seven of those eight landlords in Galway were sanctioned for breaches of rent pressure zone rules and were fined between €200 and €4,400. A further 28 sanctions against landlords nationally were also published by the RTB on Thursday. Ireland Plans for almost 100 new cost rental homes approve... Read More This included a fine of €22,000 against Sweet Home Accommodation Ltd for properties on Lower Leeson Street, Middle Abbey Street and Upper Abbey Street in Dublin for failure to register tenancies. Advertisement Rosemary Steen, director of the RTB, said the sanctions showed the board's commitment to driving compliance with rental law. "The new Rent Index data has flagged unusual patterns of rental inflation in Galway that we are engaging directly with stakeholders in the county to address. Our Compliance and Enforcement team also continues to pursue high-risk offenders through in-depth investigations that yielded €102,490 in sanctions published today." Dr Rachel Slaymaker, research officer with the ESRI, said: "Nationally, the Rent Index shows average rents continue to rise for new and existing tenancies, but the data for the final quarter of 2024 show a clear moderation in the rate of rental price inflation throughout 2024. Despite falling rental inflation for new tenancies nationally though, price rises do remain persistently high in certain counties."
