Threshold survey finds three-quarters of tenants struggle to pay bills after covering rent

Almost three-quarters of residential tenants struggle to pay bills after paying rent, while 42 per cent have experienced a rent increase in the last 12 months, according to a new survey from Threshold.

The housing charity’s We Are Generation Rent survey found the number of those who struggled to pay other expenses after rent was 74 per cent, up from 59 per cent in 2023.

One participant earning more than €50,000 per year reported being “constantly stressed” and worrying “month to month” about paying bills after rent, saying she can barely make ends meet. “It is hard to see how I can escape this cycle and it is damaging to my mental health,” the 46-year-old said.

The charity said the findings “paint a picture of unaffordability and insecurity for many respondents”, with the number of those renting by choice falling significantly from 17 per cent last year to 6 per cent in 2024.

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A further 88 per cent reported extreme difficulty in finding rental accommodation.

[ Housing charity advocates reduced tax liability for landlords who offer long-term leases to tenants ]

Feelings of insecurity in tenure have increased year-on-year during the survey’s seven-year history, according to Threshold.

In 2024, 54 per cent of respondents felt either insecure or very insecure in their accommodation, up from 48 per cent last year and 44 per cent in 2022.

The majority of respondents reported poor standards. Damp and mould, faulty showers and baths and broken heating systems were the most common issues. Despite 81 per cent raising the issues with their landlords, 63 per cent said they remained unresolved.

Just over a quarter said they had no problems with the standard of their accommodation.

Despite the challenges renters face and recognising the private rental sector as “critical” for accommodation provision, Threshold is proposing a “unitary housing system”.

This would see larger social and cost-rental housing provision of at least 20 per cent accessible to more households across a broader range of incomes, similar to the current system in Sweden.

Threshold argues the move would create competition for the private rental sector, resulting in better rent levels and better terms and standards.

The charity is also advocating for the ongoing expansion of the tenant-in-situ scheme and cost-rental, the improved enforcement of minimum standards, rent regulation, and introducing of a constitutional right to housing.

Threshold client Elisa Belmonte moved from Genoa to Ireland as a student six years ago and has rented since then. Although her experience with landlords has been largely positive, one landlord in particular left her “angry and upset”.

While living in Dublin 8 with her boyfriend, she recalled difficulty in making contact with her landlord, particularly when it came to repairs.

[ Housing agency Threshold took 12,000 phone calls on housing issues during first three months of the year ]

On moving in, the couple realised neither their heating nor their dishwasher were working, and upon contacting their new landlord, were told the previous tenants fixed the broken washing machine, and they “should do the same”.

“There was no help, it was up to us,” she said.

The “cherry on top”, she said, was receiving a notice of termination shortly after renewing their lease at the same property, giving them six months to vacate, as the landlord wished to sell.

However, the couple was asked to sign a six-month tenancy contract, and once they moved out ahead of the deadline, the landlord retained their €1,600 deposit, arguing they had breached the conditions.

“I did sign it and that was our mistake,” she said.

The couple eventually received their deposit back through the Residential Tenancies Board dispute process.

Ms Belmonte described the overall cost of renting in Dublin as “insane”, while also describing packed viewings and applying for properties regardless of suitability due to the scarce availability – which more often than not are “already gone”.

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