Concerns have been expressed about an ‘unethical underbelly’ in the rental market in Clare, amid claims that some landlords in this county are charging tenants higher rent prices off the books.
It comes as the Department of Housing considers an alternative to Rent Pressure Zones, which will be replaced with a new system next year.
A number of recent housing reports have suggested that rents in Clare are rising at a faster rate than most other counties across the country.
It’s the Residential Tenancies Board though that decides whether electoral areas across the country can be designated a rent pressure zone, and therefore rent caps, which would mean rents could go up by no more than four percent a month.
There are five electoral areas in Clare – Ennis, Ennistymon, Kilrush, Killaloe and Shannon
The system is set to be phased out by the end of 2021, but it appears this county was quite a way off being considered a pressure zone.
A Clare FM investigation into current RTB figures suggests Clare rents would have to continue to rise considerably for parts of this county to have caps placed on prices – with data suggesting rents in this county are around 15 percent below the national average of tenancies outside of Dublin.
It’s unregistered tenancies and payments, though, which are now being scrutinised by one government TD from this county.
Clare Fianna Fail TD Cathal Crowe claims he’s aware of some renters here who are being charged a market price for rent – but are then forced to pay extra ‘off the books’ to remain in the property they’re living in.
Despite the rent pressure zone system set to be wrapped up before any part of Clare has seen benefit from it, there are suggestions that the system may have prevented rents in this county and elsewhere from rising even faster than they have in the last number of years.
The Department of Housing is being urged to implement a plan that takes into account inflation and the cost of living in certain areas.
Chief Executive of Threshold, John Mark McCafferty has told Clare FM’s Morning Focus that the system has not been a complete failure for renters.
