Local authorities across Ireland are moving to increase social housing rents for households where adult children are working, sparking debate over fairness and affordability.
With young adults now leaving home later — the average age in Ireland is almost 27, according to Eurostat — councils argue that employed adult children should contribute more toward household rent.
South Dublin County Council Proposes Major Changes
South Dublin County Council (SDCC) is the latest authority reviewing its rent structure. Under its current model, tenants pay 10% of total household income plus a €3 weekly charge. An additional 10% is levied on “subsidiary earners” — other household members earning above the social housing income threshold, which ranges from €40,000 to €47,000 depending on household size.
However, council management is now considering raising the 10% charge or increasing the rate applied to income above eligibility limits.
Notably, SDCC is the only Dublin council that assesses total household income without placing a cap on how much can be charged to subsidiary earners, potentially leaving larger families facing significantly higher rents.
Independent councillor Madeleine Johansson criticised the lack of clarity around the proposal.
“Management didn’t tell us what exactly they are doing, but that’s the plan — they will increase that to more than 10pc. Those families will end up paying more.”
How Other Councils Compare
Several other local authorities have already adjusted their systems:
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Dublin City Council will increase its subsidiary earner cap from €21 to €40 and remove the four-person charging limit. The primary earner rate will rise from 15% to 18%.
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Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council has scrapped its €20 weekly cap.
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Fingal County Council plans to raise its cap from €40 to €60 and increase its income rate from 12% to 14.5%.
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Galway City Council will introduce a flat 20% charge on total income, similar to SDCC’s aggregate model.
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Waterford City and County Council has removed its cap and now applies a flat 10% rate.
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Mayo County Council charges 10%, capped at €20 per week.
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Cork City Council charges 15%, capped at €23 weekly.
Rents Already Above Average
At a recent housing meeting, SDCC senior executive officer Michael Murtagh outlined disparities within the system.
“In an instance where there might be two working adult children, rent is over €700 [€705 a month], while the national average is €570 — that’s around €135 more.”
He contrasted this with lower-rent households:
“For a single working parent with one child, rent is €208, while the national average is €420. There, we have a gap of €223. So we will look at how to make this more equitable.”
He added:
“There is an increase of €7.86m in our projected expenditure this year.”
Currently, 3,700 tenancies in south Dublin exceed income eligibility thresholds, and any changes would affect approximately 21,000 tenancies, including those supported by Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS), the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP), and council-owned properties.
One option under consideration is introducing a cap on subsidiary earners similar to other councils. Another possibility involves changes to supports such as the Working Family Payment.
Political Backlash and Calls for Consultation
Councillors have expressed concern about the decision-making process and the potential burden on families.
“It doesn’t seem like we can vote — we are being told that we can tell them what we think but management will decide what they are doing.”
Johansson also criticised the broader principle behind the proposal:
“I reject the principle that maintenance and repair work has to be funded by rental income — it is a move away from social housing by the Government.”
She warned:
“It will be a double whammy to some families. We cannot move ahead with this without consulting the people.”
The council maintains that a review is necessary to cover rising maintenance and repair costs across its housing stock. However, the proposed increases have ignited debate about fairness, affordability, and the future direction of Ireland’s social housing policy.
