The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) of Ireland believes the rising cost of rental properties are squeezing Irish small firms out of business.
Roger Acton, director of ACCA Ireland, said many of the body's members are hearing complaints from clients with small or family businesses about the rising cost of rents in the country.
Mr Acton said that rent hikes have arisen because of an inflated property market, resulting in an unviable and uneconomic situation for many small business owners.
Aidan Clifford of ACCA Ireland said: "A landlord who purchased a commercial property more than 10 years ago would have set rents at that time to provide a commercial return. When these properties are sold on today, the new owners are also looking for a commercial return, but based on a substantially larger outlay, and they are getting the return by increasing rents."
"Commercial rent increases tend to lag up to five years behind property price increases, and it is only now that the increases are starting to filter through to the rents paid by smaller businesses. The increases are unsustainable for a small business," he said.