SHOCK: Dundalk Airbnb listings 100 TIMES higher than rental homes available

The number of Dundalk homes listed on Airbnb is a shocking 100 times the stock available to rent. 

According to listings on Rent.ie, just 10 properties are available for people to rent long term, with the majority of listed homes suitable only for students and single workers. 

Two of the properties currently available to rent in Dundalk are advertised to students, while five properties are studio/one bedroom apartments unsuitable for families. 

One two-bed home is listed for vacancy in Dundalk, along with just two four-bed homes (one of which is listed for €5,000 per calendar month). 

Currently, just 28 properties are available to rent in all of Co Louth. 

Meanwhile, over 1,000 Dundalk properties are available (at time of writing) for short term lets on Airbnb, including 628 four-bed homes and 338 five-bed homes. 

Many four-bed properties are advertised as being available for between €160 to upwards of €300 per night, while some properties are charging more than double these figures. 

According to housing data from Census 2022, renters in Louth have continued to face large increases in the amount of rent they pay. 

Between the 2016 and 2022 censuses, the average weekly rent paid to a private landlord in Louth in April 2022 was €233, marking a 47% increase on 2016. 

The average weekly rent paid to a private landlord at national level rose to €273 (up 37%), more than double the rate of increase (17%) between 2011 and 2016. 

The cheapest rent for a studio apartment in Dundalk at time of writing is €800pm, while a one-bed costs €1,250pm and a two-bed costs €1,500. 

According to figures released this week by the Department of Housing, 236 adults accessed local authority managed emergency accommodation in the North East region (comprising Louth, Monaghan and Cavan) during the week of 24-30 June, including 213 in Louth. 

This is a slight decrease from 239 people in the North East region in May 2024, which included 217 adults in Louth. 

Fifty nine families - including 118 children - also accessed emergency accommodation during the week of 24-30 June in Louth. 

Of these families, 43 were single parent households.