DUBLIN — The three county councils in Dublin are owed more than €23 million in unpaid social housing rent, with more than 10,500 tenancies currently in arrears, according to new figures.
South Dublin County Council (SDCC), Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council (DLR) and Fingal County Council (FCC) were collectively owed €23.05 million in rent arrears by the end of May or June 2026.
The figures show differing trends across the three authorities. While South Dublin has reduced the amount outstanding over the past year, arrears have increased in both DLR and Fingal.
The councils say they are using repayment arrangements, early engagement and financial support services to help tenants clear outstanding debts, but warned that persistent arrears can ultimately lead to legal action.
Fingal tenants owe €8.5m
Fingal County Council, which manages around 7,000 social housing properties, was owed approximately €8.5 million at the end of May.
That figure compares with €8.3 million at the end of 2025, although it remains below the €10.03 million recorded in January 2025.
The council said 4,097 tenants were in arrears.
Around 41% of those tenants have agreed repayment plans, while approximately 58% have debts of less than €500.
Fingal said it operates a tiered process which begins with engagement with tenants before progressing to repayment arrangements and referrals to services such as the Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) and the Household Budget Scheme.
Where all attempts to resolve arrears fail, the council can issue tenancy warnings and, in a small number of cases, pursue legal proceedings.
The authority said some recent cases have resulted in possession orders.
Council rent increase raises concern
The level of arrears has also prompted concern about the impact of rent increases on households living in council properties.
Labour councillor John Walsh, who represents Fingal, said the arrears figure remained worrying and questioned whether higher rents could result in more tenants falling behind.
His comments follow a decision by Fingal councillors in November 2025 to increase social housing rents for the first time since 2013.
The change increased the rent contribution from 12% to 14.5% of a tenant’s income.
Walsh said the increase could place additional pressure on households already dealing with higher living costs.
DLR arrears rise to €7.08m
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council recorded €7.08 million in rent arrears on 26 June 2026.
That compares with €6.39 million at the same point last year and €6.42 million at the end of 2025.
The council said 2,855 tenancies were in arrears, with 640 households currently operating under repayment agreements.
DLR attributed much of the increase to continuing cost-of-living pressures affecting households.
The council said tenants experiencing financial difficulties can access repayment arrangements and support from organisations including MABS, Dublin Simon Community’s Tenancy Support Service and its Housing Welfare Officer.
South Dublin sees arrears fall
South Dublin County Council recorded a different trend.
Rent arrears stood at €7.47 million on 31 May, compared with €8.11 million a year earlier and €7.8 million at the end of 2025.
The council said 3,640 tenancies were in arrears, with 2,205 households on active repayment arrangements.
Eligible tenants can also have arrears recovered directly from certain social welfare payments through the Household Budget Scheme.
However, the council warned that tenants who do not engage with its Debt Management Unit and whose arrears continue to increase could eventually face legal proceedings.
SDCC stressed that ending a tenancy is not the intended outcome of its debt management process and said it works with tenants experiencing financial difficulties.
Cost of living blamed for rising arrears
The latest figures come amid continuing pressure on household finances across Ireland.
Dublin Simon Community said rising living costs were creating additional financial pressure for people living in social housing.
The organisation also cautioned that financial hardship is not the only reason tenants fall into arrears, pointing to individual and personal circumstances that can affect a household’s ability to maintain a stable tenancy.
Its tenancy support teams focus on early intervention and helping households remain in secure accommodation.
Tenants facing difficult choices
Sinn Féin councillor Daniel Loftus said he had been contacted by residents in South Dublin who were struggling to meet higher rent payments.
He said some tenants were paying more than €1,000 a month, while households with working adult children could face rents exceeding €1,500 following rent reassessments.
Loftus warned that rising household expenses could force some families to choose between paying their rent and meeting basic living costs.
The councillor said he expected the increase in social housing rents to have a direct impact on arrears.
What the figures show
Taken together, the figures highlight the financial pressures facing both tenants and Dublin’s local authorities.
The €23.05 million owed across the three councils is a substantial outstanding liability, but the data also shows that most councils have systems in place to try to recover arrears without immediately putting tenancies at risk.
The large number of repayment agreements demonstrates that many households are working with councils to address their debts.
At the same time, the rise in arrears in DLR and Fingal raises questions about whether higher household costs are making it increasingly difficult for some social housing tenants to maintain their rent payments.
For councils, the challenge is to protect rental income needed to manage and maintain their housing stock while ensuring that households experiencing genuine financial hardship receive appropriate support.
For tenants, allowing arrears to continue accumulating can increase the risk of enforcement action, making early engagement with the relevant council particularly important.
M10News analysis
The latest figures underline an important distinction in Dublin’s housing crisis: being housed in a social home does not necessarily mean a household is financially secure.
Social housing provides security from the private rental market, but tenants remain exposed to wider increases in food, energy, transport and other household costs.
The figures from South Dublin also show that arrears can fall when repayment arrangements and debt-management measures are actively used.
The growing concern will be whether further increases in council rents, combined with the wider cost-of-living pressures, lead to more households falling behind.
With more than 10,500 social housing tenancies already in arrears, how councils manage rent collection while protecting vulnerable households will remain an important part of Dublin’s housing debate.
M10News will continue to follow social housing, council rents, homelessness and housing affordability across Dublin and Ireland.
