More than 3,000 social housing tenants face rent increases of almost 18% under a new regime being proposed by the management of Galway City Council, the city’s largest landlord.

City Hall is also planning to scrap the €5 allowances deducted from rents that are applied to certain vulnerable groups of Council tenants, including pensioners and people with disabilities.

Thousands more tenants living in private accommodation but on the social housing waiting list, who are getting help to pay rent through HAP (Housing Assistance Payments), will also be impacted by this rent review.

Many Galway City Councillors are furious with the planned increases, but it is an executive function, meaning the Chief Executive Leonard Cleary and his management team can push through the changes without a vote from elected members.

A draft proposal of the Council rent hikes – which will also apply to tenants of approved housing bodies such as Tuath, Clúid and Respond – have been discussed at the Council’s Housing SPC (Strategic Policy Committee). They are due to be unveiled at a full Council meeting this Monday.

Galway City Council will argue they have not increased the rate at which their tenants pay rent since 2019, but the proposed rent increase in real terms amounts to 17.6%. It is likely to be implemented this autumn.

Ironically, Galway City is in a Rent Pressure Zone where Government has capped rent rises in the private rental sector by 2% per annum, although several reports, including from Daft.ie, suggested the caps are ignored, and ‘under-the-counter’ payments are made.

The Council Housing Directorate will argue that the cost of housing maintenance has increased, and this rent increase is necessary to fund a maintenance programme on its housing stock.

It has also been suggested to Councillors that maintenance on Council houses will not be carried out for tenants in rent arrears – a controversial move that will divide opinion.