Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy

This afternoon on RTÉ Radio One’s News At One.

Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy was interviewed by reporter Louise Byrne about the latest Daft.ie quarterly report which shows just 2,700 properties were available to rent nationwide on the website on May 1, while the average rent nationwide is €1,366.

Mr Murphy told Ms Byrne rent inflation is low.

The Daft.ie report did refer to the national annual rate of inflation at 8.3%, in the first quarter of 2019, being the lowest in five years as a “crumb of comfort” in the report.

Ms Byrne put it to Mr Murphy: “Are rent increases of 6.8% in Dublin year-on-year slow?”

He said:

“It’s the slowest rate of increase that we’ve seen since 2013. We know that rents have run away in the capital because of the lack of the supply that we have had with homes to buy and homes to rent.

“And that’s why with Rebuilding Ireland, we’re dramatically increasing the number of homes to buy, but we’re also bringing in these reforms to protect renters which is so important. We know we have more work to do.

“We’re halfway through Rebuilding Ireland but it is showing signs of progress in some key areas like supply. But there’s more to do and that’s exactly what we’re going to be doing over the rest of the year.”

Asked when 80,000 homes will be built in Dublin – given that this is the figure Daft.ie claims is required and only 18,000 were built across the country last year, Mr Murphy said:

“What we saw last year was the 25% increase in the number of homes built over the previous year, it’s going to increase again this year. Each year, under our plans we’re committing more money to building more homes for social and affordable housing, we’re also seeing on the private side more housing being built as well.

“The key thing we need to see in places like Dublin is more apartments, but it’s not just Dublin where we need to see more apartments being built, it’s in each of the cities in the large towns that we have in the country. And that’s why we talk about our vision beyond Rebuilding Ireland.

“We’re talking about growing the population outside of Dublin, taking the pressure off Dublin, not just for homes but for jobs as well.”

Mr Murphy also told Ms Byrne that the rent caps “that have been working” have been extended to 2021 “at the earliest”.

Listen back in full here

Earlier: Daft Figures

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