Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien will “bring in legislation quickly” to stop landlords hitting renters with a “double whammy” of an 8% rent hike for tenants, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said.
It comes after People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy highlighted some landlords are using a loophole to increase rents by 8% given a rent freeze was in place last year due to the pandemic.
Under pressure in the Dáil to commit to helping renters, Mr Martin said Minister O’Brien will move "in relation to those who are most vulnerable and those most at risk.”
However, he said that the Government is limited by the Constitution on introducing a blanket ban on rent increases.
Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald hit out at the Taoiseach in the Dáil and said “the jig is up” and accused him of “leaving renters in the lurch.”
She said “an entire generation is locked out of home ownership and don't stand a chance of saving for a mortgage deposit.”
She said: “Renters struggling to keep heads above water and if this wasn't bad enough, tenants could now be hit with a hike up to 8% when you withdraw emergency protections for renters next month and this arises because of a loophole in the disaster Rent Pressure Zone legislation that will allow renters who did not endure the 4% increase last year to be hit on the double, a double whammy.”
She told the Taoiseach “to get the finger out” for “renters who are already being fleeced.”
She said Mr Martin has “said no” to Sinn Fein proposals which she said could help renters such as legislating to ban rent increases for a period of three years and putting a month’s rent back in “each renter’s pocket.”
In response, Mr Martin slammed Ms McDonald and said he challenged her “sincerity and lack of honesty” given Sinn Fein opposed 1,200 houses in Donabate last week.
The Taoiseach said: “It’s hypocrisy on a grand scale that your party has been at.
“You keep attacking, attacking, attacking and opposing, opposing and opposing housing project after housing project.
“I really would appreciate it if your party would get the finger out and start doing something about that once and for all and support the parties and all councils across the country to get houses built.”
People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy said "we have a Government of landlords for the landlords.”
He said the cost of renting has more than doubled in the last 10 years.
Mr Murphy said Dublin has the fifth highest rents in all of Europe - more expensive than Paris, Berlin or Rome.
And that Irish renters pay an average of 40% of their income in rent - the highest in the world.
Mr Martin said “the government does not represent landlords” and said that the Government is bringing forward a right to housing insertion in the Constitution."
