The vast majority of Irish Mirror readers do not believe the Government is doing enough to address the housing crisis, according to our recent survey.
At the time of writing, 3,005 readers had responded to the survey.
Of those, 2,231 (74%) said they completely disagreed with the statement "The Government is doing enough to address the Housing Crisis", while 320 (11%) said they somewhat disagreed.
139 (5%) said they completely agreed and 174 (6%) said they somewhat agreed. 127 respondents said they neither agreed nor disagreed with the statement.
Readers were also asked to give their views on a number of measures to address the Housing Crisis.
When asked "Should the Government introduce rent caps to bring down the cost of rent?", 2,601 (87%) respondents answered Yes. 231 respondents said the Government should not introduce rent caps while 163 said that they were unsure.
The issue of high rents recently lead to a heated exchange in the Dáil, when Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald urged the Government to introduce a three-year rent freeze after a new report from property website Daft.ie showed that rents rose nationally at an annual rate of just over 10% in the last three months of 2021.
Asked if they supported a ban on 'Vulture Funds' purchasing property within the state, 2,584 (86%) respondents said that they did. 154 respondents answered No and 257 said that they were unsure.
Taoiseach Michael Martin has previously defended the role of large international investment funds in the housing market, stating that "Private investment is important in terms of housing overall."
Readers were also asked "Should the Government seize long-term vacant and derelict properties to increase housing supply?"
2,366 (79%) responded that they would support the measure, while 318 said they would not support such a move and 296 said that they were unsure.
Many readers left further comments elaborating on their opinions of the measures outlined in the survey.
One reader voiced their support for rent caps, stating "If they[The Government] can put minimum pricing on alcohol they can put the max price on rents in different areas."
Regarding a ban on 'Vulture Funds', another reader stated "I think Vulture Funds should be exterminated. I am a senior citizen and my heart goes out to all the young people trapped paying rents higher than a mortgage. What sort of government allows that to happen?"
Not all respondents supported the ideas, however. One wrote: "They should bring vacant council houses up to standard to provide more housing. But should have no right to touch a privately owned house. In relation to capping rents, I don’t think they’ve any right to tell people who own their properties how much to charge."
A number of readers also shared their personal stories of dealing with the housing crisis, including one who said "My sister can't get a house for her and her 3 kids due to lack of availability and high rents."
Another wrote "As a young person renting, the cost of rent, gas and electricity is crippling. Some form of renting cap needs to be brought in. Rents have gone up hundreds of euro in the last year, and for a relatively high income household we are left with no way to save towards a mortgage and are losing money to rent that could be put towards mortgage savings and the future."
Some have been forced to consider leaving Ireland, such as one reader who stated "This government are the reason I'm emigrating for the second time in 10 years and I won't be returning. Their policies have robbed me of a future here."
Our survey on the Housing crisis is still open for readers to have their say. Share your views below or click here.
