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Number of available rental properties hits three-year low

Image: turkeychik via Flickr

THE PERCEPTION THAT there are a lot of empty rental residential properties crying out for a tenant seems to be belied by the latest quarterly report from Ireland’s largest property website, Daft.ie.

The report states that the number of properties available to rent nationwide at the start of this year was at its lowest level in three and a half years. This graph shows the rise and fall in the stock of properties since July 2008:

propertystock

(Image: Daft.ie. The numbers illustrated are based on properties advertised to let on the site)

There were almost 1,000 fewer rentals available in Dublin at the end of 2011 compared to end of 2010 – the drop was 5.7 per cent there.

The report, which is based on rental prices and properties to let on Daft.ie in the last three months of 2011, also shows that there has been a small fall in the average rental prices asked in Galway, Limerick and Waterford year-on-year. In Dublin, average rental asking price stayed almost static while in Cork, it saw an increase year-on-year from 2010 to end of 2011.

The figures were as follows for the average rental:

  • Dublin – €1,057, up 0.3 per cent
  • Cork – €865, up 2.6 per cent
  • Galway – €747, down 1.2 per cent
  • Limerick – €673, down 2.4 per cent
  • Waterford – €632, down 2.4 per cent

Ronan Lyons, resident economist at Daft.ie, said that the slight increase in Dublin and in Cork “suggests underlying demand from a build-up of first-time buyers”.

The average rent nationwide is now €821 – a fall of 0.7 per cent over the course of 2011.

Interested in the change in rental asking prices over the course of 2011 on daft.ie? Look here:

ireland

When focusing on Dublin specifically, the report finds that rental asking prices rose in Q4 in the city centre, fell in North County Dublin but pretty much stayed the same in all other areas of the greater Dublin area. However, the overall cost of rental accommodation has fallen dramatically since the peak of the boom (end of 2006) by between 25 per cent and almost 30 per cent in all areas across the capital.

For full tables of rental changes in properties and in the rent-a-room scheme, county by county or in specific cities across Ireland, click through to the Daft.ie Q4 2011 report>

Note: Daft.ie and TheJournal.ie are part of Distilled Media Group

Main points of Finance Bill 2012 – Increases in Mortgage Interest Relief for first-time buyers>

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Comments (10 Comments)

  • Mata Mata 09/02/12 #
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    Interesting report as the local auctioneers , estate agents are saying the opposite , they have too many vacant properties on their books and some are saying we cannot take more on. Does the association of Estate Agents concur with Daft ?

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  • Eoghan Nolan 09/02/12 #
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    Residential or commercial? A very important distinction- but if it’s made here I’ve missed it…

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    • Susan Daly 09/02/12 #
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      Hi Eoghan, Residential. Sorry if that wasn’t completely clear – I’ll add that in up above in case anyone else was wondering. Cheers, Susan.

  • HELLO SPRUIKER 09/02/12 #
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    ”Ronan Lyons, resident economist at Daft.ie, said that the slight increase in Dublin and in Cork “suggests underlying demand from a build-up of first-time buyers”.

    Yeah in F@@king Melbourne, Ronan.

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    • David 09/02/12 #
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      @ hello. He was actually talking about Ireland if u read it again

    • Andreas Riha 09/02/12 #
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      I would actually agree with Ronan that the market now has a lot of would be first time Buyers now renting in “Dublin” not Melbourne.
      The Daft report goes on the advertised rent not the agreed rent.
      Back in 2009/2010 every tenant was asking for about 10% off the advertised rental price and getting it. Now they are asking but not necessarily getting the reduction. So I would suggest the increase is higher than quoted based on agreed rental amounts.
      The amount of available units has decreased significantly over the previous 2 years in Dublin which backs up what Ronan is saying. Quality properties are getting rented quickly with a very short vacant period.
      However it will be interesting to see what happens when Properties assisted by rent allowance end current lease periods. I feel It will not have a significant impact in Dublin and the other 4 top cities but will change things dramatically in the “country”.

  • random 09/02/12 #
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    3 year low maybe, but not even close to the 2007 level shown.

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  • Val Kearney 09/02/12 #
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    Is it possible that its just that less people are using Daft.ie to advertise on and are moving to other websites or letting agencies?

    Also, the story with Cork is interesting. Having moved here for college from Waterford 2 years ago myself, I know of at least 20 people that have made the same move over that time. A good number of those have had to make the move over the work situation. Talktalk in particular was a major game changer. Might help to explain not only the rise in rent in Cork but also the fall in rent back home.

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