LIMERICK, WATERFORD AND LOUTH RENTERS LOSE OUT AGAIN

Labour spokesperson on Housing, Jan O’Sullivan TD, has criticised Minister for Housing, Simon Coveney for excluding Limerick, Waterford and Drogheda from rent pressure zones.

“Yet again, we see that Limerick, Waterford and Drogheda have not been included in the next round of rent pressure zones announced by the Minister for Housing today.

“This is disastrous for tenants who are already struggling to pay and now face rises they can’t afford. Linking rent increases to the Consumer Price Index as the Labour Party has proposed would have been a much fairer way to go.

“When I spoke in the Dáil before Christmas on the Government’s Housing Bill, I warned that the criteria to qualify for a 4 percent cap on rent increases per year were too restrictive, especially relating to hikes in four of the last six quarters.

“The people of Limerick, Waterford, Drogheda and other parts of the country are now left with no protection from steep hikes.”