Rents in Louth surge as housing supply remains tight

Rents in Louth remain under sustained pressure heading into 2026, with new figures showing prices continuing to climb while supply stays stubbornly tight. according to the latest report from Daft.ie.

The Q4 2025 Rental Report shows that market rents in Leinster outside Dublin rose by 6.3% during the year, well above the 3.9% increase recorded in 2024. Louth’s figures reflect that upward trend, with price increases recorded across most property types.

In Louth, the average monthly rents in the final quarter of 2025, taken year on year were:

• One-bed apartment: €1,355 (down 4% year-on-year)
• Two-bed apartment: €2,093 (up 0.8%)
• Three-bed apartment: €2,789 (up 4.7%)
• Two-bed house: €2,036 (up 4%)
• Three-bed house: €2,439 (up 6.6%)
• Four-bed house: €3,018 (up 8.1%)

While one-bedroom apartment rents dipped slightly compared to a year earlier, most other segments saw clear increases,  particularly larger family homes, where four-bed houses rose by more than 8% over the year.

Three-bedroom houses in Louth are now averaging €2,439 per month, while four-bedroom properties have crossed the €3,000 mark.

The pressure is also evident in the shared rental market.

The average monthly rent for a room in Louth is now €758, placing it among the higher room rents in Leinster outside Dublin. Across the wider Leinster region (excluding the capital), room rents rose by 4.9% in 2025.

Nationally, the average monthly rent for a double room stands at €775, meaning Louth’s room rents are now close to the national average.

The report highlights that availability remains extremely tight nationwide, with just 1,777 homes available to rent across the country on February 1 — the lowest figure recorded for that date in almost twenty years.

In Leinster outside Dublin, there were just 425 homes available to rent on February 1, roughly half the level typically seen between 2015 and 2019.

Although county-level availability figures were not broken out individually, the broader regional data underline the continued scarcity facing renters in Louth and neighbouring counties.

Across Leinster (excluding Dublin), the total number of homes listed for rent in the year to January was under 7,000 — down 4% year-on-year and almost 50% below pre-pandemic norms.

Commenting on the new-look report, its author Ronan Lyons, Professor in Economics at Trinity College Dublin, said: 

“Widespread uncertainty about the new rent controls appears to have exacerbated ongoing supply shortages in the rental market. Across the country, there have been steep falls in rental availability over the last year. There were fewer homes available to rent on February 1st this year than at the same time of year at any stage back to 2006. 

Read Next: Dundalk wedding planner wins Wedding Planner of the Year 2026

“Unsurprisingly, with extremely tight availability, rents in the open market continue to rise, with a further 4.4% increase during 2025, up from 3.6% in 2024. The same is true for room rentals, which have also seen a sharp fall in availability in the last year. 

“It remains to be seen whether supply is holding off until new tenancy terms come in on March 1st or whether the change in rent controls has led to a further reduction in the stock of rental homes, as landlords sell up.”