Labour will reform rental market
- Daft report shows relentless scale of problem
- Urgent Need to bolster RTB powers
- Rental inspections are up but enforcement is non-existent
- Renters evicted at the whim of landlords
- Some landlords breaching employment and rental laws
The Labour Party launched its plans to back renters today.
Labour’s General Election candidate in Dublin South Central Cllr Darragh Moriarty said we have to do better for renters.
Labour’s Renters’ Rights Bill, the first piece of legislation introduced into the Dáil by Ivana Bacik following her election, would ensure better conditions, tackle greed and strengthen protections for renters.
Cllr Moriarty said:
“The Daft report published this morning is yet another damning inditement of this Government’s failed approach addressing the chronic issues in the rental market.
“Rents are up nationwide but the chronic shortage of homes to rent in Dublin is causing a massive swell in the market, with rents up 5.2% in the capital in the past year.
“Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have been more focused on spin and bluster in the rental sector, rather than addressing the issues at the core of the crisis. They won’t take the decisive action needed to back renters and be on their side because they are the parties of landlords.
“Their scaremongering about landlords leaving the market is simply not borne out by facts. The number of registered private landlords increased by 6.5% from June 2023 to March 2024.
“Labour are firmly on the side of renters. Greedy landlords like Marc Godart ride roughshod over renters’ rights, treating their tenants as cash cows rather than people desperate to keep a roof over their head.
“Not all landlords, but many, are taking advantage of the fact that this Government has lost the grip on the market. Almost a third of tenancies in Dublin had rent increases above the legal limit in the past two years. 1 in 3 renters across Dublin had a rent increase of 2-8% or more. These clear breaches of the Government’s supposed rules to protect renters highlight exactly why comprehensive rental protection reform is needed and why Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael can’t be trusted on this issue.
“Renters in Ireland are still at the whim of landlords. There has been no tangible strengthening of renters’ rights since the general election four years ago. No-fault evictions are still taking place, and while inspections of rental properties have increased, enforcement is practically non-existent.
“Last year, South Dublin County Council wrote more than 2,000 letters to landlords to say that the homes they were renting out didn’t meet the minimum standards. Yet the council did not launch a single enforcement proceeding against any landlord in 2023. It’s outrageous.
“Rather than supporting landlords, this Government should have diverted its attention to building the supply of new homes we need. The supply of homes to rent in Dublin alone is set to fall by 27% this year, and a further 57% next year.
“Labour’s Renters’ Rights Bill will take on rogue landlords by banning no-fault evictions, implementing a three year rent freeze and giving power back to renters by introducing a Rent Register to bring transparency to the market.
“On RTÉ Upfront on Monday night, Fine Gael said they want more landlords. Labour want to build homes, give renters a break and take on the greed at the heart of the sector.”