Galway residents see rents rise once again in 2025 

By Conall Diggin

Only 36 properties are available to rent across Galway city, according to the latest Daft.ie report. 

Galway has the third-highest rate of rent hikes at 6%, only behind Cork City and Waterford City, which saw rents increase by 9.4% and 11.4%, respectively. 

Between the cities of Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford, there are 150 homes to rent, up 4% on a year ago, but that is 30% less than what was available between 2015 and 2019. 

Conversely, rental inflation in Dublin is only 2.7%, but the stock of homes available to rent is down by almost one-third. 

The outlook is not much better outside of the city; as for the rest of the county, the average rent of a three-bedroom house was up 11.2% on last year 

A reported 1,900 homes were available to rent nationwide by November 1st, a 21% decrease from at the same time last year. 

“This is a market starved of supply. Rents are now one-third higher than they were just over five years ago and indeed two-thirds higher than their Celtic Tiger peak.” said Ronan Lyons, author of the Daft.ie report.  

“While it will take years, significant amounts of new rental supply – all around the country – are required to change conditions in the rental market.” 

Market rents nationwide are now one-third higher than their pre-Covid levels and two-thirds higher than their peak in the Celtic Tiger. 

The daft.ie report has been in operation for 20 years, with the latest report seeing revamped methodology and new metrics on room rents, as well as rentals of full properties. 

Speaking on the new methodology report, Lyons said: 

“The twentieth anniversary of the Daft.ie Report has given us the opportunity to revamp and refresh things, with the new format putting far more information, in some cases going back to 2002, available at the fingertips of all those interested in Ireland’s housing market.”