Serious concerns over very high rents in Offaly
Concerns have been raised over rents in Offaly that have been described as 'very high'
Cllr Ken Smollen told a recent Council meeting that rents are far too high for a lot of people.
The Councillor said the government has been given lots of time to get to grips with the Housing and Homelessness crisis but hasn't managed to do so.
“The average rental rate is simply not realistically aligned with many people's income. It's very high in Offaly. In Tullamore tenants are paying €1,200, €1,300, €1,400 monthly for apartments.”
He said there are 532 on the Social Housing List awaiting housing support in Offaly, and there are a further 816 active tenancies being supported under the Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) Scheme. There are also 22 families currently in emergency accommodation.
Offaly's councillors have called for a meeting with the Minister for Housing to discuss the difficult situation facing many families in the county.