RENTS have recorded their sharpest rises outside Dublin, reflecting the move to remote working.

Every county saw an increase in rents in the last year, with the exception of Wicklow.

Rents rose by 4.5pc across the State in the first three months of the year compared with the same quarter last year.

But they rose by even more outside Dublin. Rental inflation stood at 7pc outside Dublin compared with 2pc in the capital.

The average rent nationwide is now €1,320, an increase of €33 compared with the last three months of last year, according to the regulator, the Residential Tenancies Board.

In Dublin, the average rent is now €1,820 per month, while the lowest monthly rent was in Leitrim at €596 per month.

Wicklow was the only county to record a fall in annual rents in the first quarter of this year compared with the same period last year.

The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) said it was not immediately clear why rents had fallen in that county.

Kilkenny recorded the fastest growing rental costs, with a rise of 12.3pc.

Clare, Galway and Mayo all had annualised growth above 10pc.

Pandemic-related restrictions are being cited for a fall in the number of tenancies registered with the board.

There are currently 15,532 tenancies registered, down from 16,235 before Christmas.

Breaking down rental costs to local authority areas shows that Stillorgan, Co Dublin, is the most expensive, with monthly rents of an average €2,378.

The lowest is the Lifford-Stranorlar area in Co Donegal, at €566 per month.

RTB statisticians said the average rent nationwide for houses stood at €1,304 per month, up 7pc in the year.

Average rent for apartments stood at €1,351 per month, which is up 2.2% in the year.

Rent rises are strongest outside the Greater Dublin Area, reflecting the fact that more people are working remotely.

Interim director of the RTB Pádraig McGoldrick said the pandemic continues to impact the rental market.

He said the strict lockdown at the start of the year impacted unemployment, easing some of the demand for rental accommodation.

He said the rental index shows there were fewer tenancies registered with the RTB, a reduction that may be linked to public health restrictions.

“It also showed that inflation is rising, which is especially evident outside of Dublin and in house rental prices – both representing a 7pc annual increase.

“This may be the start of a potential trend of people moving outside of urban centres as a result of Covid-19, which we will continue to monitor.”