Rent reset legislation
Deputy McDonald attacks the Government’s residential tenancies Bill, saying it will raise rents and benefit vulture funds and corporate landlords. The Taoiseach defends it as national rent regulation that protects current tenants and new tenancies.
What does the Government have against renters? Its new legislation guts rent pressure zones and allows rents to be reset to full market levels between tenancies. From 1 March, this will have the effect of driving rents even higher. Who demanded the introduction of the Bill that has been brought forward? It was not renters, who are drowning under record rents, or small or medium-sized landlords. The Bill was written for one group only, namely the vulture funds and corporate landlords that are gouging renters month after month and charging €2,500 or €3,500 for very ordinary homes. From March, new tenants will be hit first. Students will then be hit. Year by year, increasing numbers of renters will be forced into paying uncapped market rents. The Residential Tenancies Board has indicated that one quarter of tenancies turn over every year. This means that means that within a few short years most renters will be paying full market rents and that rents will soar. This is the Government's choice. Can the Taoiseach accept that its legislation will increase rents for new tenants and, over time, for the majority of tenants?
Comment on this
The Deputy is engaging in polemic and political propaganda. The bottom line is that the legislation will not have any impact on the 240,000 people who are currently renting.
The bottom line is that for the 240,000 people currently renting, this legislation will not have any impact. It is only for new tenancies that start on 1 March. The core element of this is national rent regulation. What we are talking about is national rent control across the whole country. This will strengthen protections for renters through the introduction of tenancies of minimum duration. It will mean an effective end to no-fault evictions, the establishment of a rent-price register and arrangements to reset rent market rate only every six years. Why is the Deputy against this?