Renting is far from a choice for most - Substandard rental properties

REMARKS made by Conor Skehan, chairman of the Housing Agency and the Government’s lead adviser on housing policy, may come back to haunt him.

“People are coming around to the idea that renting isn’t for losers and it remains a valid choice for many people,” Mr Skehan declared yesterday in advance of the publication of the agency’s annual report.

“Choice” is the operative word here but the fact is that, for thousands of families in Ireland, there really is no choice. If they are not unemployed or otherwise not eligible for a mortgage, they either pay increasing rents for substandard accommodation or end up on the streets.