Kerry rent pressure zones
Deputy Brassil said rents in Kerry were rising sharply and asked that rent pressure zones be extended to towns like Killarney, Kenmare, Dingle and Tralee. The Minister of State said the decision lies with local authorities and the Residential Tenancies Board, but he would raise the issue.
The programme for Government contains a commitment to control spiralling rent costs. While I welcome the extension of the rent pressure zones in recent days to 18 new areas, I want to bring to the Minister's attention that in the first three months of 2019, rents in Kerry soared by 9% on average. Specific areas such as Killarney, Kenmare, Dingle and Tralee have significant tourism pressures and these rents are spiralling out of control. Young local couples find it almost impossible to get any level of rent certainty. Will the Minister look at extending the rent pressure zones to those areas in Kerry where the average increase in the first three months of this year was 9%?
Comment on this
The decisions about extending rent pressure zones are not made by Ministers or the Department. Under the legislation, a combination of local authorities and the Residential Tenancies Board make those decisions. The local authority would certainly be involved in kicking off that process in any specific town or village. I will certainly bring it to the attention of our officials and the Residential Tenancies Board but the decision-making is for the Residential Tenancies Board in conjunction with local authorities. It is based on various rent increases over the past year. I will ask for it to be looked at but the process does not involve ministerial intervention.