Rent controls and housing regulation
Dessie Ellis urges inclusion of rent controls in the forthcoming housing legislation to protect tenants from rising rents. The Tánaiste says the housing regulation Bill is due next year and highlights measures supporting rental-property quality and social housing construction.
A report just published by DKM Economic Consultants calling for tax breaks for landlords is not in favour of rent controls. While rent controls are not a magic solution, they would take considerable pressure off many people, including families, who are struggling or under threat due to hikes in rent. The constitutional argument made in the past does not stand up-----
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-----and could be legislated around. There is a housing Bill due. I urge the Minister to include rent controls in it, as utilised-----
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-----in other European countries, such as Germany. I ask the Tánaiste not to hide behind this report.
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A housing regulation Bill is due next year. I understand the report by DKM, to which the Deputy referred and which was commissioned by the PTRB, is being published today. Once it is published, the Government will have an opportunity to discuss it. As I have not seen the detailed content of the report, I do not want to comment on it at this point.
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Could we have a debate on it in the House?
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The Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, announced on budget day the extension to landlords of the relief available to households for repair and maintenance work carried out by a contractor where there is a provision for the refund of the VAT. I was a very strong advocate of that measure because I agree with the Deputy that it is important that we have rented accommodation of good quality. The Government is commencing the first major period of construction of social housing, as allocated in the budget this year. It is an important issue-----