Renting outside Dublin: Are sharply rising rents affecting you?
rents
and low market supply is a story
Ireland
has become all too familiar in recent years.
While we are used to hearing tales of excessively high rents in
Dublin
, for the first time nationally the average rent has now surpassed
€2,000 according to newly released figures by Daft.ie
.
The year-on-year increase also revealed rents are rising at a higher percentage rate outside of Dublin.
In Cork and Galway cities, rents were up 13.6 per cent and 12.6 per cent respectively while the rate of increase in Waterford was 9.9 per cent year-on-year.
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Limerick recorded the largest increases with rents climbing by more than 20 per cent year-on-year.
With rents now climbing faster than at any point over the past twenty years - now standing 48 per cent higher than before the outbreak of Covid-19 in early 2020 - The Irish Times would like to hear your experience of renting outside Dublin in recent years.
Has the sharp climb in rent affected you? Are you finding yourself priced out of suitable rental properties?
Are you commuting long distances to work or college as a result, or has the lack of affordable rental property impacted your career or education?
Please submit your replies using the form below, limiting your submissions to 400 words or less.
Please also include a phone number for verification purposes. If you would prefer to remain anonymous, please indicate this in your submission – we will keep your name and contact details confidential.
We will curate a selection of submissions, but please note that it may not be possible to publish every submission we receive.
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He looks heartbroken but his buddies rally round and they leave together, laughing. When it's pointed out to McCormack that most people going into a nightclub at midnight have drink taken, he acknowledges the point. 'We show common sense,' he says. 'You see those two steps at the doorway,' he adds, pointing downwards. 'They're very handy and if people can't manage them it's a sign, for sure.' Dublin Camogie players at the top of the queue heading into Coppers. Photograph: Conor Pope The bouncers don't just rely on the two-steps, though. 'We've layers of security as people come through,' McCormack continues. 'One looks at your face straight on and another watches as you walk past and then a third will cast an eye over you. You might get past one doorman, but you're not going to get past three of us. 'But we're not really here to refuse people. We're just here to make sure that no one is too young or likely to cause trouble.' Noel Holloway has been on the door for 18 years, while Michael Burke, standing beside him, has been here for 13 years. They're smiley rather than stony-faced and laugh and joke through the night. When Holloway is asked what the biggest challenges in his job are he doesn't skip a beat. 'It's working with these Muppets,' he says. As he talks, his eyes never leave the queue. 'We know people come with fake IDs so we sometimes ask to see a bank card to confirm names match,' he says. He pauses. 'But a lot of young people don't carry bank cards so we ask to see their social media accounts to be sure. But even then a lot of young ones have fake social media accounts to match the names on their fake ID. It can be tricky,' he says. Across from Coppers are two relaxed guards. 'This street is self-policing in some ways,' one says. 'All the nightclubs, but particularly Coppers, are well run. There's very little messing and the security staff know what they're doing. They've been doing it long enough anyway.' It's 1am and the queue is long. When Jackson is asked what he looks for in a bouncer he says first what he doesn't want – excessive physicality. 'It's much more important that we can talk people down,' he says. A young woman approaches and asks for paracetamol. She's ushered to the on-site medical room to be seen by the paramedic. Minutes later somebody else comes out and says she has a headache. She too is taken care of. Jackson shrugs when The Irish Times expresses amazement that people ask bouncers for painkillers and are looked after. Copper Face Jacks: 'All the nightclubs, but particularly Coppers, are well run,' says one of the gardaí on Harcourt Street. Photograph: Aidan Crawley 'It's what we do anyway,' he says. Minutes pass and a young woman wanders out lost and disorientated. Discreetly Jackson tells staff to make sure she isn't alone. 'We'd never leave a young woman out here on her own,' he says. The girl, it emerges, has pals to take care of her so the night goes on. By 2am more than 1,000 people are inside; it has a capacity of between 1,400 and 1,700 depending on which areas are opened up – and the mood is exuberant. The doors must close and the punters must be sent home by 2.30am. It infuriates Jackson who repeatedly expresses bafflement that the licensing laws in the State have yet to be updated to allow people if they so wish to dance later into the night. [ From the archive: Just how did Ireland end up with such weird licensing laws? Opens in new window ] 'We are not the same as the late bars so it makes no sense to me that we have to work under the same rules,' he says. 'People certainly aren't drinking as much as they used to,' he adds. 'Some are using other stimulants. There's a lot more cocaine around the city.' But he says there is a very strict policy when it comes to cocaine in Coppers. 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