Leitrim’s ‘forgotten people’ locked out of housing market amid soaring rents

People in Leitrim earning between €30,000 and €60,000 have been described as “the forgotten people” when it comes to ever being able to afford to buy a house.

At November’s meeting of Leitrim County Council, Cllr Mary Bohan proposed that the council call on the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne TD, to urgently increase the income limit for eligibility for social housing.

“I think many people are caught in a bind,” said Cllr Bohan. “The income limit of €30,000 is not nearly adequate in the present climate.”

Cllr Bohan went on to say that people who fall outside the social housing income threshold have little option but to rent privately, where costs are already extortionate. This makes it even more difficult to save towards getting onto the property ladder.

“The only option they have is to rent in the private market and we know what that’s costing. I saw one house advertised not far from me recently and it was €1600 a month. There’s very few people in a position to pay that kind of rent,” she said.

“If people are paying that kind of rent, they can’t save. The prospects of ever getting a mortgage, or being eligible for social housing is very limited. It’s just not realistic, and it needs to be increased,” she added.

The motion received unanimous support from members of Leitrim County Council.

Cllr Reynolds commented that, “You have a whole swathe of people who are earning €30,000 to €60,000 that are locked out of everything,” adding that while the minimum wage has increased, social housing threshold rates have not.

“They are the forgotten people in this county and in this country, those that are earning above €30,000 and under €50,000 or €60,000 where they can’t get a mortgage,” added Cllr Justin Warnock. “Everyone is forgetting about them and something needs to be done.”