Tenants last year were spending an average of 38% of their net income on housing, but home owners only paid 29% of their income on a mortgage and other home-related expenses, the national statistics office CBS said on Thursday.

The proportion of income which tenants spend on housing has risen by two percentage points since 2012, but home owners are better off because of low interest rates, the CBS said.

Rents have risen by some 14% since 2012, the CBS said. The average rent, plus gas and electricity and minus housing benefit of around €100 a month was €675 last year. Home owners were paying just under €1,000 a month to live in their homes, including mortgage tax relief of some €175.

Last year housing corporation lobby group Aedes and tenants’ umbrella organisation Woonbond agreed that housing corporation tenants living in rent controlled properties will not face rent rises of more than inflation for the next three years.