Daft report shows Government needs a reality check on housing

Labour spokesperson on Housing, Jan O’Sullivan TD, reacting to the latest Daft.ie report has said that it shows the absolute failure of the Government’s Rent Pressure Zone model to slow the pace of increases in the rental market. 

Deputy O’Sullivan said: 

“The Daft.ie report that shows an annual average rent rise of 11.5% is truly alarming and shows that current measures are not working and Government needs to be a lot more radical to protect renters.

“The Labour Party has introduced legislation to the Dáil that would, amongst other measures, see the Residential Tenancies Board publishing actual rents so that new tenants would know if unlawful increases were being charged. Our legislation will also extend rent pressure zones throughout the entire country.

“The example of my own city of Limerick, which remains outside the Rent Pressure Zones, shows how necessary extending the rent pressure zone nationwide is as as Limerick’s annual increase is 17.1%, higher than anywhere else in the country.

“The Dublin figure of 12.4% shows that, even within Rent Pressure Zones, urgent changes are required. 

“The rate of rent increases is completely out of control with no reference towards affordability, salaries or the inflation rate in the economy as a whole.  

“This Government needs to take a reality check and wake up to the fact that thousands and thousands of their fellow citizens are frightened that they will be the next to be faced with homelessness. Their ideological objection to intervening in the market can no longer be maintained.”