A Donegal Deputy has slammed rising rents in the county,  stressing that that average rents of almost €1100 per month are not normal.

Sinn Féin TD, Pádraig Mac Lochlainn was responding to the latest figures published by the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB), which show that renters in new tenancies in Donegal are now paying almost €2,000 more than last year, an increase of almost 15 per cent compared to a year ago.

This is the highest increase in rents of any county across the State.

He said that it does not have to be this way and urged the government to listen to Sinn Féin, and cut rents and ban increases for three years.

“An average rent of €1100 in Donegal is not normal. Many families pay much more than this every month.  Rents have doubled over recent years in our county but wages for the average worker have certainly not doubled so this should not be allowed to happen.

“The latest RTB figures show that rents for new tenants in Donegal rose by 14.8 per cent in the last 12 months. This means that renters in Donegal are now paying almost €2,000 more a year in rent because of the profound failures of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. It’s a rip-off,” Deputy Mac Lochlainn said.

“Once again, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are making life harder for renters, who now have even higher rents and even greater insecurity. How are regular working people expected to afford these rents? How are they supposed to save for a deposit to buy a home?

“It doesn’t have to be this way. This can be sorted.

“We need to cut rents and ban increases for three years.  We need to give young people a chance,” he added.