Quarter of tenants in south Dublin, Fingal, Wicklow and Louth pay half their income on rent

A quarter of renters in south Dublin, Fingal, Wicklow and Louth are paying more than 50 per cent of their disposable income on rent, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).As part of a report on the rental sector, the CSO examined the “rent burden” on private sector tenants across the State’s 31 local authority areas.It found that 26 per cent of tenants in south Dublin and 25 per cent of tenants in Fingal, Wicklow and Louth spent at least half their disposable income on rent in 2024.Between a fifth and quarter of renters in Dublin city, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Galway City, Carlow and Meath faced similar rental costs.READ MOREThe report found that 34 per cent of private tenants in south Dublin spent more than 40 per cent of their disposable income on rent, followed by Fingal (33 per cent), Louth (33 per cent) and Wicklow (33 per cent). In contrast, only 18 per cent of private tenants in Leitrim spent this level of income on rent.According to property website Daft, the average market rent for a two-bedroom apartment nationwide rose to a record €2,204 per month in the second quarter of this year and to €2,634 in Dublin.British Ambassador to Ireland Kara Owen on current Anglo-Irish relations, trade opportunities, and the possibility of a Brexit reversalThere are more than 880,000 people living in privately rented accommodation in the Republic and more than 75,000 in households renting from voluntary bodies.The CSO noted that the median (middle) age of private market renters was 34 in 2024. More than two-thirds (68 per cent) were aged 25 to 44. It found 21 per cent of private renters were aged between 45 and 65. Just 3 per cent were aged 65 and over.[ Just 12 properties available to rent within HAP scheme limits in September, charity saysOpens in new window ]In contrast, most landlords were aged 50 to 64. A third were aged over 65.Employee income was the primary source of income for about almost three-quarters (73 per cent) of tenants. Social welfare payments (excluding pensions) were the primary source of income for 16 per cent. For 5 per cent it was self-employed income.About 62 per cent of landlords had total gross income from all sources of less than €60,000 in 2024. At the top end of the income distribution, 4 per cent of landlords had a total gross income of more than €200,000.The most common employment sector for individual landlords was financial and real estate activities (39 per cent) followed by construction (15 per cent).