Rents are rising in Sligo at rate ‘five times the national average’
SINN Féin Councillor Chris MacManus has called on Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy to urgently rethink his government’s rental policy as data from the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) showed rents in County Sligo surged by 29% in 2017, nearly five times the national average.
Councillor MacManus said: “The RTB report provides for stark reading. The year-on-year increase in rents across the State in 2017 is 6.4%, here in County Sligo it’s 29.1%. It means rents in Sligo increased from a monthly average of €611 to €789 in the space of one year. The data confirms that the government’s policy is not working. This is no surprise to those of us working with many families seeking housing assistance and unable to obtain anything in the private rental sector. Housing Assistance Payments are of minimal benefit. Even if you qualify, rents are several hundred euros beyond HAP entitlements. My office is constantly being asked about affordable private rental accommodation. There’s very little of it out there. I’m aware of a number of households, including senior citizens, who are on the threshold of being forced out of their private rented accommodation.”