Need somewhere to live
A 2021 RTB survey revealed that 40% of the Irish rental market tenant profile are not ethnically Irish.
This is kind of incredible, but not surprising since the 2022 Census estimates 703,700 non-Irish nationals are living in the state, accounting for 13.8% of the total population.
It is incredible because 13.8% of the population represents 40% of known demand for private rental accommodation.
Is it any wonder where all the supply has gone?
Not really, the annual rate of immigration has increased almost year on year since 2011 with a drop in 2020 and a more exceptional drop in 2021 (both global lockdown periods), but the following year 2022 made up for lost time.
However since net migration went positive in 2015, the year when Syria was on TV screens and social media feeds with images of mass movements of “refugees”, it has remained positive ever since.
Then it goes from incredible to #HousingTreason when you realise of that 40% of the non-Irish occupying accommodation in the Irish rental market, a huge percentage are only able to do so if they are subsidised by the State
It is no wonder many have reacted with shock and horror to this fact:
A very high representation of non-Irish foreign housing needs being allowed to
a) apply to all local Housing lists, and then
b) access the private rental market via rent subsidies under HAP
This fundamentally changed the Rules of the Rental game in Ireland. The question is, as a tenant or prospective tenant – did you update your playbook?
4000 = 11,000
In real terms the numbers behind the above info graphic equal 4000 Non-Irish tenancies subsidised under HAP.
Applying the 2016 CSO average occupancy per household of 2.75 to that 4,000 figures, this represent approx. 11,000 non-Irish people housed and subsidised by the State in the private rental market.
Of the total HAP tenancies the 4000 non-Irish figure represents 37% of the total HAP tenancies of 10,723 in just these 6 local authorities or county councils alone.
This is remarkably close to the RTB 2021 finding of a 40% non-Irish ethnicity when compiling a tenant profile, but it is not like for like.
HAP as a sizeable market segment appears to mirror the RTB 2021 findings, then is it too simplistic to assume for every 100 non-Irish migrants, 37% will hit the private rental market as subsidised demand?
If that is the case, in simple terms, then it is #HousingTreason or wild insanity amounting to the same outcome, #HousingTreason, neither of which is excusable, there is no valid reason for the Irish people to indirectly subsidise 37% of that 40% of the non-Irish foreign portion in the private rental market.
Yet #HousingForAll is exactly that, and it continues to be government and specifically local government policy for 9 years under HAP, since 2014.
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