Labour amendments expose the mess Govt making of rental laws
Labour amendments expose the mess Govt making of rental laws - The Labour Party
- Labour vow to sit through the night to have meaningful debate on new rental rules
Labour housing spokesperson Conor Sheehan TD has tabled a series of critical amendments to the deeply flawed rent legislation that Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil will ram through the Dáil next week.
Deputy Sheehan said:
“Government are attempting to rush these sweeping changes though the Oireachtas, threatening the use of the guillotine to get this shoddy piece of legislation through the Dáil on Wednesday. The Labour Party will sit through the night on Wednesday if that’s what it takes to get Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil to actually engage with the changes that they themselves are proposing. It’s shameful that Micheál Martin is treating our legislative process with such disdain.
“Indeed, I challenge the Taoiseach to come out without notes or a piece of paper in front of him and explain how this legislation is going to improve the situation for renters in Ireland. Government have done no modelling as to what effect this will have on rents in the private market, other than testimony from witnesses in the Housing Committee who said rents will go up if this legislation is passed.
“The bottom line is renters who are stuck in Ireland’s dysfunctional housing market will be screwed by what Government is proposing. Everything this Government has touched when it comes to housing has caused more stress and more uncertainty. It doesn’t have to be this way. Rents have increased by over 100% in the past decade, almost 50% since Covid alone. What Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil will, unbelievably, drive prices even higher again.
“Let’s have a bit of ambition for ourselves and for renters when it comes to renting in Ireland. The Labour Party has submitted amendments to simplify things for landlords and renters alike, and making sure that there are real protections for tenants.
“Renters need a general, no-fault eviction ban for the next three years. It’s the best tool at Government’s disposal to stabilise the situation and stop people entering homelessness. We’re living through an emergency housing situation. The Government knows this, they’ve acknowledged this, let’s start at a very basic point and stop people being evicted.
“All renters should have the same rights – irrespective of who their landlord is. My amendments would remove the two different categories of tenure, making sure that landlords can’t terminate a tenancy to sell a property, renovate it or move in family members for all renters – and that landlords can sell a property with the tenant in situ. That’s a very basic initial step.
“Rents are too high. That’s a fact. Labour’s amendments would remove the Minister’s proposed market rent reset which is only going to drive rents higher. We suggest the provision for a rent brake mechanism so that if rental inflation exceeds 15% over a four-year period, then further increases can’t occur. It’s not a silver bullet but at a time when rents are already over €2,000 a month, it provides a small about of certainty and protection to renters.
“This needs to be backed up with a strong rent increase cap of 2% to new apartments which, under Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil’s plans, will not be capped if the bill passes in its current form.
“These amendments are about giving renters some clarity and some stability, but alone they won’t solve things. That’s why I’ve included an amendment to ensure a full review of the new laws within two years to assess the impact of the plans on security of tenure and market rent levels. This would including compelling the Minister to provide a report that forecasts the impact the changes will have on rent levels over the next decade.
“Like a lot of things when it comes to housing, Government has carried out no modelling or impact assessments on these changes and how they will impact renters and prices. Too much has been forgotten about in the rushed drafting of this legislation – for example, I’ve had to include an amendment to provide for information sharing between Fáilte Ireland and the Rental Tenancies Board on short-term lets. This is basic stuff.
“Rents are too high and supply is critically low. More and more people are entering homelessness and more and more people feel utterly trapped in their living situation. What this Government has proposed to date is knee-jerk, short-term responses that are placating private developers and investors. Our amendments would make sure renters have stronger rights that aren’t abstract – they’re about keeping people in homes, providing a level of certainty and security and stopping this cliff edge from renting to homelessness.”
ENDS
Key amendments:
• Remove the two different categories of tenure.
• Remove the market rent reset from the legislation.
• Provide for a rent brake mechanism
• Ensure that the rent increase cap of 2% applies to new apartments
• Insert no fault eviction ban
• Full review of laws within two years to assess impact on security of tenure and market rent levels.
• Compel the Minister to provide a report that forecasts impact changes will have on rent levels over next decade.
• Provide a comprehensive definition of rent inclusive of any further non-core payments or charges on tenants, that must be reported to the RTB.
• Introduce safeguard to protect tenants who begin their tenancy under a larger landlord so that if the landlord becomes a smaller one (three or less) then the tenant retains their security of tenure.
• Ensure notice of termination be served by post, as the law proposes that this can be done by electronic means in future.
• Ensure tenant cannot be evicted where they are placed at risk of homelessness.
• Provide for information sharing between Failte Ireland and the RTB on short term lets.
• Remove the Slip Rule so that technical errors void an eviction notice.
Full amendments: https://press.labour.ie/assets/files/docx/rtmp_dail_cttee.docx