Every day on The Last Word we're looking at the cost of living in Ireland in our new series, Stretched.
Today we examined how much it costs to rent. With prices across the country continuing to increase, and five times as many properties on Airbnb as on Daft.ie, we are seeing problems such as homelessness and lack of tenant security.
We were joined by Frank Quinn, economics and property valuations lecturer at Blackrock Further Education Institute, Janette Fogarty of the Residential Tenancies Board, NJ Kenny of the Dublin Tenants Association and Fintan McNamara of the Residential Landlords Association of Ireland, to discuss the situation and potential solutions to the problem.
We also heard from Trevor, a listener who spoke to us about his struggles in the rental market.
Frank said: "The situation has got so bad you almost have to back to the 1850s to find something similar. In Dublin there are only 1300 properties to rent on Daft.ie. The average price to rent is €700, so you're talking about a national emergency."
NJ Kenny added: "In addition to the exorbitant rent increases, it is nearly impossible to find places to rent at the moment. People are queuing up with others. You're competing with about 30 or 40 other people at the same time to even view a place."
These are just a few examples of the studio apartments currently listed for rent on Daft.ie:
Belgrave Road, Ranelagh
Kenilworth Park, Harold's Cross
http://www.daft.ie/dublin/flats-for-rent/harolds-cross/kenilworth-park-harolds-cross-dublin-1750286/
Stoney Road, Dundrum
