Rents for new tenancies were up over 9% in the first quarter of this year compared to the same time last year, according to new figures from the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) and the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
The national standardised average rent for new tenancies was €1,460 between January and March.
That is up 3.3%, or €46 on the previous quarter.
Rents for new tenancies in Dublin were €2,015 per month and outside Dublin were €1,127 per month.
The data shows that Dublin had the highest standardised average rent in new tenancies during the first quarter, while the lowest monthly rents were in Leitrim, where the standardised average rent in new tenancies stood at €734 per month.
Fourteen counties had standardised average rents in new tenancies above €1,000 per month - Carlow, Cork, Dublin, Galway, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Limerick, Louth, Meath, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, and Wicklow.
"The latest Rent Index, which is based on new tenancies registered with the RTB in the first quarter of 2022, shows continued growth in rents nationally with a yearly increase of 9.2%," said Niall Byrne, RTB Director.
The figures show a continued fall in the number of tenancies that were registered with the RTB in the first quarter of 2022.
10,414 new tenancies were registered, down 32% on the first quarter last year when 15,291 were registered.
"These results are likely still indirectly impacted by Covid-19 public health measures along with constraints in supply and tenants choosing to stay longer in their existing tenancies," Mr Byrne said.
"In reading the Index, it is also important to note that these results only provide us with a snapshot into a small proportion of the private rental sector in Ireland," he added.
