THERE HAS BEEN contrasting news in the housing market this week depending on whether you are renting or buying.

While there has been a fall in house prices that seems to have come from the Central Banks’s mortgage rules, things have been getting more expensive for renters.

The Big Movers

Rising rents 

New figures released by the Private Residential Tenancies Board for the final quarter of 2014 found that rents went up quite a bit in 12 months.

In the capital there has been an increase of 9.6%, with this figure sitting at 5.8% for the rest of the country.

On average, a person can now expect to pay €1,301 a month to rent a house in Dublin, and an average of €829 outside the capital.

The ERSI predicted that rental conditions could likely get worse, with the Central Bank’s new rules – which limit the amount that can be borrowed relative to the deposit paid – making it so that less houses get built than otherwise would.

Kieran McQuinn (right) and other representatives from the ERSI. Sasko Lazarov / Photocall Ireland Sasko Lazarov / Photocall Ireland / Photocall Ireland

Falling prices 

Believe it or not – house prices are actually starting to come down.

New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that prices came down by 0.4% across the country last month. In Dublin prices have come down by 2.4% since the start of December.

Despite this trend, prices are still went up over the previous 12-month period – due to big growth in the second and third quarters of last year.

While the 12 month period has shown overall increases - prices have come down since December CSO CSO

Under Construction

• Next month should see the first Irish Water bills put through letterboxes around the country – although the utility expects to send out hundreds of thousands of incorrect ones. 

Brian O'Donnell at the High Court earlier this week Sam Boal / Photocall Sam Boal / Photocall / Photocall

• Brian O’Donnell and his family have been granted permission to stay at their Gorse Hill mansion in Killiney for another three weeks.
• Plans have been unveiled for the derelict baths in Dun Laoghaire that will involve an overhaul of the area.  

How the area around the derelict Dun Laoghaire baths will look

• The Irish State is set to face a human rights case over the condition of 20 different housing estates around the country. 

Des Res

If it was good enough for Charlie Haughey it should be good enough for you. A private island, called Little Bokeelia Island, has come onto the market for $24.5 million (€22.45 million) in Florida and all serious offers are being considered until the end of April. The property comes with its own four-bedroom Spanish-villa style home, Business Insider has reported.