Stark housing disparity in Mayo revealed
By Caoimhín Rowland
THE housing crisis in Ireland has reached staggering proportions, with Mayo one of the hardest hit regions.
Recent revelations have shed light on the glaring disparity in available rental homes between popular online platforms Airbnb and Daft.ie, underscoring the severity of the housing shortage crisis in the county.
According to data obtained, a mere 24 houses were listed for long-term rent on Daft.ie in Mayo last week. In sharp contrast, the online holiday rental Airbnb boasts 813 properties available for rent in the county.
This is a 34-fold increase in the number of homes available for rent on Airbnb as compared to Daft.ie.
The scarcity of affordable rental properties has not only left families scrambling for shelter but has also attracted attention at a national level. Councillor Michael Kilcoyne and Sinn Féin TD Rose Conway-Walsh have both decried the situation, even highlighting instances of individuals being forced to sleep in their cars around the Lough Lannagh area of Castlebar due to the lack of suitable and affordable housing options.
Breaking down the statistics further, it's evident that the housing situation is particularly dire in Mayo's county town. While only a single home is available for rent within the town itself on Daft, Airbnb offers a total of 75 properties for rent in the entire town.
This signifies a 15-fold disparity between the available homes for families on Airbnb as opposed to Daft.ie in Castlebar alone.
The coastal town of Westport is no exception to this disheartening trend. With a meagre four properties listed on Daft.ie, Airbnb paints a drastically different picture with a whopping 290 postings. Recent developments have designated the Westport electoral area as a rent pressure zone, necessitating some Airbnb operators to seek planning permission before listing their properties.
This analysis of the housing crisis in Mayo is an indicator of the acute shortage of suitable family homes for rent on the private market. The implications are far-reaching, impacting large segments of the population and making access to housing increasingly difficult.
Head of the Central Bank, Gabriel Makhlouf, has recently identified the Mayo housing crisis as a deterrent for potential Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the region.
The ever-widening gap between the number of available homes on Airbnb and Daft.ie underscores the need for urgent action to address the housing shortage and ensure affordable, stable housing for residents.