DUBLIN: Sharing astudio flat in Dublin with two other people, Greek security guard Ariscomplains about the housing crisis that forces him to live in crampedconditions. "It's quite rough," said Aris, who splits the 850 euros($970) a month rent for the 30-square-metre flat. With scant storage space,personal belongings are relegated to the ground. A kitchen hob is within arm'sreach of one mattress, while the other two are pushed together. "It's not humaneconditions to live in Dublin," said 42-year-old, who moved to Irelandthree years ago.
Rocketing priceshave impoverished renters and pushed families into homelessness, leading toweekly protests in the streets of Dublin by affordable housing campaigners.Aris's situation is not rare in the capital, which is currently in the midst ofa "perfect storm" that is driving the average rent to between 1,600euros and 2,000 euros. Increased immigration, depleted stocks of socialhousing, an aversion to building tall structures and simple greed following ahardscrabble recession are all factors.
Dublin'sincreasing role as a tech hub is also bringing high-earners to the city, whilstAirbnb is capitalising on the popularity of the city as a weekend-break destination-- to the detriment of people looking for long-term rentals. At one point thisyear, the property site Daft.ie said there were just 1,258 properties availablefor long-term rent in Dublin, while Airbnb offered 1,419 short-term lets.
'People aredesperate'
The irony is thatIreland witnesses an unprecedented property boom in the run-up to the 2008financial crisis -- a period known as the Celtic Tiger years. Construction ofnew properties ground to a halt after the crash, setting the scene for thecurrent squeeze on housing stock as the Irish population grows rapidly due to ahigh birth rate and significant immigration rates. The results are clear inlong-term rental advertisements: Rooms with vanishingly little floorspace areadvertised for 1,000 euros and ranks of bunk beds in single rooms.
"There'ssuch a pent-up demand for housing across all the tenures, that people aredesperate," said John-Mark McCafferty, head of housing charity Threshold."There's a whole suite of different situations, whether it's people goinginto some level of poverty or people living in acutely overcrowded situations,and it's affecting people's quality of life."
At the bottom ofthe property ladder, people are falling off the lowest rung -- unable to keep upwith rents that have risen 10 percent on average in the last year alone. Themost recent housing ministry figures show 1,295 families were in need ofstate-funded emergency accommodation during a single week in October. InAugust, images of a young mother staying overnight with six of her children ina police station -- bedded down on metal waiting room chairs for want ofemergency accommodation -- shocked the nation.
One month laterbalaclava-clad policemen and private security evicted protesters from agrandiose but empty house in central Dublin. Many saw the move as heavy-handed.Since then, major housing marches of thousands have been regular fixtures, ledby activist group Take Back the City. "Housing is a human right!" and"Homes for need not for greed!" have been staple chants indemonstrations.
'They're notdoing enough'
Activists alsooccupied the offices of Airbnb -- which has installed its European headquartersin the city. "Airbnb appears to have rapidly colonized vast amounts of ourcity, locking people out of homes," the campaign group said in astatement. In November, they stormed the offices of the Residential TenanciesBoard, a government body responsible for resolving rent disputes.
Prime MinisterLeo Varadkar's government has tabled limits on letting with Airbnb, as well asstiff penalties of 30,000 euros ($34,000) for landlords who breach rentinflation restrictions. The government is also aiming to encourage the buildingof new homes. At a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a Dublin development inNovember, Varadkar was ambushed by a local resident complaining about the slowpace of construction of new housing.
"It took tenyears to just build these two!" said 58-year-old Catherine Cooke."How long is it going to take to build them over there?", she added-- gesturing to nearby land. Varadkar quickly headed off for his nextengagement in a sleek motorcade. As the cars left, Cooke muttered:"They're not doing enough". - AFP