“But if the house has been offered… those people are still on the list, still in emergency accommodation, and they’re being counted. And I question then is that homelessness?”
So Micheál Martin sneered at the latest bleak milestone set under his government. Apparently – if we believe our ever-wise Taoiseach – a record-breaking 16,353 people are homeless simply because they want to be.
You see, the figures are exaggerated, Martin ‘explains’. It’s all a plot against the noble stewards of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, who (we are told) govern the country with clear vision and great magnanimity.
Never mind the hundreds of people bedding down rough in every major city. Never mind the hundreds of thousands forced to couch-surf, trapped in childhood bedrooms, or driven abroad to Australia in search of a decent life. Never mind the 10 percent surge in homelessness under this government’s short term in office. None of that is real we’re assured – it’s simply that people are ‘refusing’ the good quality homes that Fianna Fáil is so kindly offering them!
Genuinely, the callousness is staggering.
In fact, everyone knows that Ireland’s homelessness statistics are already a grotesque understatement. As one report for the European Commission bluntly put it, they amount to “statistical obfuscation if not corruption.” And even by this rigged yardstick, the crisis has spiralled to record levels.
This government is directly responsible. From day one, it has pursued a programme written for landlords and developers, and against tenants and workers. From scrapping the eviction ban (under the previous coalition), to ‘reforming’ rent pressure zones, from weakening legal standards on housing to starving even modest, ‘social housing-light’ measures like the tenant-in-situ scheme.
And with rumours that the coming budget will shower tax cuts on big developers while slashing cost-of-living supports, it is clear this trajectory will only continue.
The housing crisis is intensifying by the day. We regularly receive letters and reports from supporters across the country, detailing how they are forced to struggle under this system. In light of the Taoiseach’s cynical remarks, we have gathered some of these experiences below.
In capitalist Ireland today, homelessness and housing insecurity are not accidents – they are the system working as intended. To end them, we need more than tinkering reforms. We need a revolutionary organisation that will fight to overthrow capitalism, seize its resources, and guarantee decent living standards for all – and a future for the youth.
Join us in the fight against capitalism!
Rent, homelessness and dereliction – one bleak record after the other
By Matthew, North Dublin
A recent report from daft.ie reveals that the average cost of rent in Ireland has soared to a staggering €2,053 a month – twice the Celtic Tiger peak and up an eye-watering 51 percent from pre-pandemic levels.
Yet this headline figure alone doesn’t capture the full scale of the crisis. Not only have rents been continuously rising – this being the 18th consecutive quarter of a seemingly endless upwards trajectory – workers are being squeezed to the bone. Years of austerity followed by a cost-of-living crisis have made these increases even more intolerable.
Is it any wonder then that a record 16,000 people – including more than 5,000 children – were in emergency accommodation as of July 2025? Since this government took office – under a storm of broken promises and blatant lies on housing completions – homelessness has already risen by nearly 2,000 people.
The figures speak for themselves. An ESRI report shows that, when housing costs are accounted for, one in five children – almost a quarter million – live in poverty. A whole generation is being condemned to hardship, denied any hope of a ‘better tomorrow’.
Yet the establishment doesn’t seem to have the slightest intention of solving this disaster. The housing crisis is but a symptom of the crisis of capitalism, and under this system it is workers and youth that bear the brunt of the crisis. All the while, resources and empty homes sit locked away in private hands.
Indeed there is no shortage of wealth that could be used to solve the crisis. The top 10 percent hoard 48.6 percent of the wealth, while the bottom half make do with just 8.9 percent. To be sure, it is this bottom half that is forced to pay for the crisis.
A system incapable of providing any viable solutions to these pressing problems, is a system dying on its feet, crying out to be overthrown. The illusion that capitalism can be reformed is crumbling under the hammer blow of the crisis. And while homelessness rises and rents skyrocket, dereliction and decay is rampant in our cities, towns and villages.
Under socialism, instead of the dereliction and decay, we could have real development and growth. A generation could be lifted from conditions of poverty and their prospects raised. The youth wouldn’t be trapped in daydreams of a distant ‘better tomorrow’ – or in the nightmare of surviving to the end of the month – but occupied with the work of building a better world.
Illegally evicted and deposit stolen – enough with landlordism!
By Peter, Monaghan
On March 4th my landlord served me with an illegal eviction notice, ordering me to vacate by May 5th. He claimed to need the property for ‘family use’. I had been a tenant for almost two years, which entitled me to 180 days notice under law.
Despite pushing back on this shocking violation of tenancy law, the pressure and uncertainty of the situation forced me to give my own notice in April. And I vacated on May 23rd. Since then, the landlord has refused to return my deposit, despite there being no legitimate reason to withhold it. No evidence of damages has been provided, nor have any receipts for repairs.
The property has since been re-listed for rent, exposing the original ‘family use’ claim as false. If not for the generosity of my parents, I would now be homeless.
This is the natural result of capitalism, where the right to shelter is commodified for profit. This cannot continue. Housing must be taken out of private hands and run collectively for the people, or landlord abuse will continue unchecked.
18 students in a two-bedroom flat: capitalism’s housing horror in Limerick
By Nathan, Limerick
Recently, a shocking story broke from Limerick city: 18 international students were crammed into a two-bedroom house. Misled by their landlord into believing the home would be shared by only 4 to 6 people, they instead found themselves trapped in inhumane conditions.
The house was also a health and safety disaster – exposed pipes, dangling wires, bare concrete, make-shift toilet cubicles in the hallway separated by plywood, and bedrooms only accessible through other tenant’s bedrooms. Privacy and dignity were nowhere to be found.
Yet for this misery, each student paid €500 a month with a €500 deposit. That’s 9,000 euro a month leeched directly into this landlord’s bank account.
And this scandal is only a small glimpse into the mass exploitation inflicted by landlords who feel emboldened by our government’s blatant pro-landlord, anti-worker policies. We must unite the working class, nationalise our industries and overthrow capitalism. Only then can we end the obscene profiteering of the few and guarantee decent homes for all.
Housing needs revolutionary change
By Laura, Belfast
My two-bedroom flat, with eternal black mould on the shower ceiling, has a bedroom with three external walls and no insulation. In the winter months, the rest of the apartment is warm while I can see my breath in that room.
The carpet, couch, kitchen, every part is clearly dated and yet I’ve been told it’s not the worst. I have seen it is not the worst. My lovely landlord, that I have never once seen, could be in Spain for all I know. For the privilege of living in this property, I am constantly reminded that any complaints made against me will find their way to my university record.
The management agency has only ever stopped by twice, despite dozens of issues needing to be fixed in the flat and only to take photos of wear and tear that they charged me more than half my deposit for when I moved out, while the person showing off the apartment to prospective tenants praised how well it was upkept.
The day I moved out, the new tenants moved in hours later. I doubt they smelled fresh paint. The system of landlords renting to students needs revolutionary change.
Rents in Cork go through the roof
By Lavander, Cork
The death groan of capitalism can be felt up and down the country, nowhere louder than in the housing crisis. Across Ireland, people are being bled dry by landlords demanding eye-watering sums just to remain in run-down hovels.
The situation can be especially felt in Cork city. The dream of homeownership has become a cruel fantasy for the youth. A one-bedroom apartment now fetches an average of €256,000. A three-bedroom house? A stomach-churning €330,000 or even €400,000. The situation is no better for renters. The average rent has climbed to over €2,200!
And how have people been managing to pay these ridiculous prices? Unfortunately, the truth is many haven’t! Within the county, homelessness rose by an outrageous 24 percent this year!
The people of Cork city have had enough! Many are planning to take to the streets this weekend as part of the “Raise the Roof” protest campaign within the city centre. We, the communists, stand in full solidarity with those protesting. Let’s kick capitalism out of housing!
UCD raises rents – again!
By Alex, University College Dublin
For students returning to UCD this year – or arriving for the first time – the shock will be immediate. Campus accommodation – already amongst the most expensive in the country – has gone up another 2 percent.
UCD markets itself as a world-class university, but behind the glossy brochures lies a reality of extortionate costs and appalling conditions. Indeed, the conditions in parts of the campus accommodation are atrocious, for example with black mold running rampant.
The extortionate accommodation costs have forced many students to commute to college. Every day, thousands of students and staff travel long distances, spending hours on overcrowded public transport. The toll on student life is significant – time lost from study, energy drained from work, and isolation from campus life.
On top of this all, over one third of students work part-time jobs just to cover rent and weekly expenses. And while students and staff struggle to make ends meet, UCD’s top management live in luxury. The UCD President alone pockets a staggering €250,000 a year.
Students and workers must organise and fight – to break the grip of profiteering landlords, to demand decent accommodation, and to win a university system built to serve people, not profit.
