Renters face ‘Armageddon’ as Irish homes for rent drop to 1,800 nationwide
Rents will keep climbing as the Government's new rental reforms have taken effect, a TD has warned, as a listing on Ireland's most popular property search website is asking €199 per week to share a bedroom with a stranger and 11 other housemates.Currently, fewer than 1,000 rental properties are available in Dublin on Daft.ie, with many consisting of single rooms. Rental prices kept increasing last year, with the most recent report published by the website last month revealing a 4.4 per cent increase nationally compared to 2024.The number of rental homes in Dublin dropped by more than one-third in 2025, with only 1,800 properties available to let nationwide on February 1. And renters are concerned prices will climb even higher with the Government's new rental reforms that came into force on March 1.READ MORE: Domhnall Gleeson's surprisingly firm response when asked about The Paper season 2READ MORE: Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley skip Oscar Wilde Awards in unexpected moveWhilst the legislation seeks to provide tenants with greater security through six-year leases, it also allows landlords the chance to increase rent to market rates every six years. Among the 985 properties currently advertised in Dublin, options for renters are limited.The most affordable listing will cost a prospective tenant €700 per month, for a single bed in a shared house in Blanchardstown. The listing has received more than 6,000 views, though it doesn't adequately show the bedroom, reports the Irish Mirror.Nevertheless, it seems that the single bed is a bunk bed. Other properties on the first page of the "cheapest" rentals in Dublin include €800-a-month for double rooms in shared houses in Ballymun and Finglas.There are currently no other rentals on the website for this price; the next "cheapest" is €199 a week to share a room with a stranger in Rathmines.The listing is for a six-bedroom house, where all bedrooms have two single beds. Also on the "cheapest" page, a potential tenant can pay €1,150 for a one-bedroom apartment in Clondalkin.Whilst this is on the cheaper side for a one-bedroom in the capital, it is part of an owner-occupied house with a shared bathroom. On the expensive side, renters are getting the "rare opportunity" to rent a furnished "luxury" two-bedroom two-bathroom apartment in Dublin 4 for €6,000.The description for the property reads: "Rare opportunity to rent a furnished, luxury two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment in this beautifully manicured gated development of only 17 apartments, conveniently located in the heart of Ballsbridge, Dublin 4."This apartment is bright and spacious, featuring a master bedroom with an en-suite."Properties on the south side take up the first page of the most expensive homes currently listed on Daft.ie. In Dun Laoghaire, a terraced three-bedroom house is up for let at €5,500 a month.Its description says the house offers three double bedrooms and one bathroom, a "spacious kitchen" and "direct sea views". The most expensive property on the website is in Ballsbridge.The five-bedroom seven-bathroom property on Raglan Road is listed at €16,300 monthly. But it's not only the southside where rental prices are exceeding €5,000 per month.For all the latest news straight to your inbox, sign up for our FREE newsletters here.In Santry, a property owner is seeking €6,250 monthly for their bungalow. Responding to these listings, Labour's housing spokesperson Conor Sheehan stated they continue to go from "bad to worse" as "the situation worsens" under Housing Minister James Browne.He added: "Given the impact of Minister Browne's rip off rent bill has not began to filter through yet, the rents advertised for these dwellings will only rise and rise. In passing the Residential Tenancies Bill Amendment Bill, Minister Browne deliberately opened the floodgates to extreme rent increases for renters across the country."The consistent rent increases throughout the last decade show that renters are not a political priority for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. What are we facing into for students in September? Complete rental Armageddon will occur unless the Government reverse course and take action to freeze rents and bring them down."For the latest local news and features on Irish America, visit our homepage here.
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