A family has been forced to relocate from Dublin to County Cavan amid soaring rents and a chronic shortage of rental accommodation in the capital.
Latest figures from property website Daft.ie reveal just over 2,300 properties were available to rent nationwide in May – a 14% drop on the same period last year and the third lowest total for the month in two decades. In Dublin alone, only 1,450 homes were listed, down 7% year-on-year.
Roger Berkeley of Berkeley & Associates estate agents in Ballyfermot described the current market as the worst he has seen in his career.
“It’s gotten more difficult in recent years for tenants,” he said. “There’s still a severe shortage of new homes being built – it’s got chronic.
We are finding that hardly a month goes by without some landlord saying, ‘I’ve had enough, it’s not worth my while.’”
Mary, a caller to The Pat Kenny Show on Newstalk, shared how her family had to leave Dublin after their landlord sold the property.
“Our landlord sold up and the only affordable house we could find was in County Cavan,” she said. “My husband now spends three hours commuting each day.”
She said they are still actively looking for a place in Dublin but have faced stiff competition. “We’ve viewed 25 properties and at every viewing, there have been queues down the street. It’s virtually impossible to find anywhere for under €2,000 a month.”
According to Daft.ie, rents nationally rose by 3.4% between January and March 2025, pushing the average monthly rent above €2,000 for the first time – the largest quarterly increase in 20 years. This marks a 48% rise since the pandemic.
Dublin continues to have the highest average rent at €2,450, up 6% over the past year.
Newstalk’s Chief Reporter Barry Whyte highlighted the gap between new and existing tenancies. “Average rent for existing tenancies is around €1,500 nationally, and just over €1,800 in Dublin. This discrepancy is one reason many small landlords are calling for rent pressure zones to be lifted.”
He added that the recent surge in second-hand property prices is prompting more landlords to sell. “If you’re a small landlord and see homes in areas like Drimnagh and Crumlin going for half a million euro, it’s easy to see why you might want to cash out now.”
The situation continues to raise concerns over the long-term viability of Dublin’s rental market and the impact on working families.
