THE COST of renting residential property in Ireland appears to be levelling out, according to a report by property website Daft.ie.

Rents fell by just over half a per cent last year compared to a 15 per cent drop in 2009 and 10 per cent in 2008. The largest drop, of over 7 per cent, was recorded in Leitrim, which also had the cheapest rentals in the country at an average of €467 a month.

Rents for Kerry dropped 7 per cent to an average of €617 and, while rents in Wicklow dropped by 3 per cent last year, it remained the most expensive place to rent outside the capital, with an average monthly charge of €922.

Dublin city centre saw the largest increase last year going up by almost 3 per cent. The average rent there was €1,134, but it did not top south Co Dublin where the average rent was the most expensive in the country at €1,303. It increased 2.2 per cent last year on 2009.

Rents in north Dublin city fell by more than 2 per cent to an average of €985.

Rents in Offaly were unchanged at an average of €604 a month and in Galway and Cork cities there was very little change, with average rents at €804 and €824, respectively.

The availability of properties also dropped; the total number available to rent nationwide fell from a high of over 23,000 in mid-2009 to less than 16,000 at the beginning of this month.