‘Out of control’ Wicklow rents third highest in the country for new and existing tenants

The newly released RTB report shows that the standardised average rent for new Wicklow tenancies in the fourth quarter of last year was €1,552, just behind Dublin (€2,098), Kildare (€1,633), with the Garden County experiencing a year-on-year change of 9.1 per cent.

The number of newly registered tenancies fell substantially in all counties in Q4 2023 compared to Q4 2022, with Wicklow seeing the smallest fall (5.7 per cent) and Roscommon (50.7 per cent), Tipperary (50.3 per cent), Limerick (48.2 per cent) and Kilkenny (47.9 per cent) seeing the largest declines.

Similarly, the standardised average rent for existing Wicklow tenancies during the same period was the third highest in the country (€1,311) behind Dublin (€1,805) and Kildare (€1,362), representing a quarter-on-quarter change in rental prices of 0.7 per cent and a year on year increase of 3.9 per cent.

The RTB report also showed that standardised average rents in Wicklow for new tenancies were highest in the Greystones Local Electoral Area (€1,598), followed by Wicklow town (€1,511), Bray East (€1,441) and Arklow (€1,365).

Regarding existing tenancies, rents in the Greystones LEA (€1,735) were highest again, followed by Bray West (€1,598), Wicklow town (€1,307), Bray East (€1,251), Baltinglass (€1,199) and Arklow (€1,021).

Reacting to the report, Wicklow TD Jennifer Whitmore said that Wicklow rents are “out of control” and called for the government to act on the “spiralling rents”.

“The figures we have seen in the RTB reportare staggering,” Deputy Whitmore said.

“In Wicklow right now, the average cost of a new rental is €1,552. The average for existing tenants across the county is €1311. This tells us that the cost of renting in Wicklow is increasing, and the government is not addressing it.

“Demand for housing in Wicklow has risen in recent years, reflecting the national trend. A major contributing factor is that people who rent in Dublin, many of them from the capital themselves, cannot afford to buy there, so they must look to other counties such as Wicklow, Meath, and Kildare if they want to try and own their own homes.

“Government is overseeing a ‘doughnut’ style of housing development by hollowing out the city centre of any affordability and therefore pushing everyone out to the surrounding areas, which is leading to increased household prices in Wicklow.

“The use of the build-to-rent model is also driving people to Wicklow, many of whom want to own their own homes, even if it means having to leave their communities.

“Rents in our towns are far too high right now, and this is a direct result of government policy,” she added.

“In Greystones, the average rent for existing tenants is €1735. In Bray East, new tenancies are coming in at an average of €1441. In Bray West, the existing tenancies are an average of €1598.

“Renters in Wicklow need a break. They need a rent freeze to halt further increases, reintroducing the no-fault eviction bans, and this government to act decisively to bring the rental market back under control.”