A survey from leading protection specialist Royal London has revealed that more than 1 in 4 people believe the onus is on the Government to solve the housing crisis by building more new houses itself.

The second most popular solution was the introduction of greater rent controls, with 25% of respondents favouring this option.

The survey, commissioned by Royal London and conducted by market research company IReach, asked 1,000 people nationwide for their opinions on what the Government should do to solve the housing crisis.

Twenty eight percent of respondents believe the Government should build more houses itself and 25% believe stricter rent controls should be applied. People in Munster are marginally more in favour of rent controls.

Those in Dublin and Leinster were more inclined to prioritise the Government building more houses itself – this was the most popular selection overall. People under age 55 were more concerned with rent controls than those above - possibly because more people in these age groups are affected by rising rents.

Commenting on the survey, Head of Proposition at Royal London, Joe Charles said, "A quarter of our respondents would like to see stricter rent controls put in place. The rental market appears to be a ‘hamster wheel’ of sorts, with those currently renting, particularly in Dublin, struggling to save enough to buy their own home. This predicament has given us what has been called ‘Generation Rent’ - a whole generation who face the prospect of renting for a large part of their lives."

Source: www.businessworld.ie