Renters paying the price for Government incompetence
Labour leader and housing spokesperson Ivana Bacik has condemned this Government for failing protect renters and failing to enact Labour’s Renters’ Rights Bill.
Deputy Bacik said the failure to enforce the rules around Rental Pressure Zones (RPZs) illustrates the lack of concern in Government for those on the hard edge of the housing crisis.
Deputy Bacik said:
“Renters are caught between a rock and a hard place and this Government continues to fail them.
“Labour’s Renters’ Rights Bill if enacted would address renters’ key concerns: affordability, security of tenure and also the poor standards in rental accommodation, a persistent and very serious issue highlighted by the Rental Tenancies Board (RTB) again today.
“The egregious breaching of RPZ rules and massive hike in rents nationally shown by this report proves that the Government’s measures to protect renters are grossly inadequate. Renters in Dublin are facing an unbelievable 5.5% increase in rents – well above the 2% cap.
“Rather than protecting vulnerable renters nationwide, this Government has opted to turn a blind eye to breaches of the few rules that are in place to address unaffordable rents. Particularly given the tax break extended to landlords in this year’s Budget, it really seems as if this Government lacks any concern or regard for the welfare of renters.
“We know that more than 15,000 eviction notices were issued in the first nine months of 2023. As well as the immense distress that those receiving such notices are plunged into as they scramble to find a place to live in a chronic housing shortage, the RTB report shows today just how much pressure they will be under financially when looking to find a home.
“Rents are substantially higher for new tenancies, and landlords clearly know this too. The so called ‘no-fault’ eviction process needs to be addressed. Renters are utterly up against it on all fronts in the rental market.
“Renting is simply not working for people. Under Fianna Fáil’s watch, renting remains unaffordable and insecure. In the Government’s focus on properties as investment opportunities, they have failed to protect those who are renting their homes.”