Half of all renters in Ireland are paying more than 30% of their income on rent, a survey by the housing charity Threshold has found. 

Of the 119 people who were interviewed for the report, 59% said they were renting because they could not afford to buy, 12% because they were unable to access social housing and 12% said they were renting by choice. 

Threshold CEO John Mark McCafferty described the findings as “not great news” but that it “confirmed a lot of what we knew”. 

Mr McCafferty said it painted a picture of an “insecure and unaffordable private rented market” and the high number of people spending over 30% of their income on rent was particuarly concerning. 

“That’s a significant figure,” he said. 

“Over 30% and you’re deemed to have affordability issues; you’re struggling, not just with your rent, but you’re probably struggling with your household bills.” 

Rent Pressure Zones were introduced in 2016 as rents in certain parts of the country began to surge. 

If a rental property is located in an RPZ then a landlord cannot increase rent by more than 2% in a year. 

“The strict enforcement of the rent regulations in the rent pressure zone areas is really important to at least moderate those increases and improve affordability,” he said. 

“Issues around substandard housing - through either a self-certification system or some other system which is consistent across the country - is really important. 

“And we believe the introduction of a right to housing in the Constitution is a critical measure too.” 

The latest survey by Daft.ie found rents in the first quarter of 2022 had increased by 1% - the smallest since 2020 when the nation was in lockdown. 

Main image: A house for rent. Picture by: Alamy.com