Rent controls are not working, according to a housing expert.
It comes as the latest Daft report shows rents nationwide increased by 12.6% in the 12 months to June, despite laws not permitting increases above 2% in some areas.
Renting a home now costs around €1,600 per month on average around the country.
Founder of online application dot com, Karl Deeter, says it's a further sign of failing rent control measures:
"People coming into the market for the first time, they go for the maximum price because whatever you get in day one sets the price. Rent controls are just a terrible idea in so many ways and if you look at places with the highest rents, they're also the places that tend to have rent controls."
