Housing charity Threshold is expressing fear that there’s a lack of suitable accommodation for older people in county Clare.
It comes after a new report has found 2 in 3 renters are renting because they cannot afford a home, though momentum in the housing market is set to slow.
Threshold says the percentage of people who are renting because they cannot buy their own home has jumped by 15 percent in the last two years.
By 2027, only 28% expect they will own their own home, 15% expect to have social housing, and 54% expect they will still be renting.
Today is a day when those looking to rent in county Clare will see just 20 such properties available here on leading website Daft.ie.
Karina Timothy, who’s Threshold’s Western Regional Services Manager, says even this scarce availability won’t suit many cohorts of renters.
Threshold’s report details those in the 40s, 50s and 60s who are still in the grip of the private rental market in Clare and elsewhere.
Member of the Shannon Active Retirement Assocation, Kay Murphy, says the issue is causing huge anxiety amongst older people who are being given tenancy termination notices here.
However, another report released today from MyHome.ie suggests inflation in the housing market may slow in the second half of this year.
It’s due to a combination of factors including inflation and rising interest rates.
It comes as concerns are being expressed that the local authority and housing bodies in Clare are hoovering up the private housing market by purchasing new properties for social housing needs.
Nearly 3,000 households remain on Clare County Council’s housing list, with nearly 1,300 further households claiming the Housing Assistance Payment.
However, Larry Brennan of Woodhaven Developments in Ennis says the market is being skewed.
You can listen to the full interview with Treshold’s Karina Mahony and and Shannon Active Retirement Agency’s member Kay Murphy from Clare FM’s Morning Focus below