Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The strongest argument against rent control is that there are better ways to protect vulnerable renters. One such way, supported by research, is for the Government to provide social supports for renters. In other words, households that see their rents go up could be eligible for tax credits or welfare payments such as the housing assistance payment, HAP, or the rental accommodation scheme, RAS, to offset rent hikes. A scheme of vouchers to help pay the cost of moving should also be introduced in Ireland. If rent control is a good idea, why not also control the cost of fuel and groceries? Should such regulations be implemented, immediate shortages would result and home owners would revolt. Instead of cheap fuel and groceries, there would be no petrol, diesel or groceries. The simple fact is that rapid inflation in rent is caused by demand outstripping the supply of rental housing. Rent control makes an existing housing shortage worse. Further, it hurts the very population it is intended to help. Landlords or property owners qualify tenants based on things like income and credit score. When market disrupters like rent control are introduced, tenant competition for what little housing remains heats up. Landlords can raise the standards for qualifying, resulting in less-affluent income groups or individuals with lower credit scores being crowded out in favour of higher-income applicants with higher credit scores.

There is a better way. As rents increase in response to demand outpacing supply, increase the supply of rental housing. One way to do this is to turn the approval or planning process upside-down. Planning permission is an area that needs a lot more discussion. We are talking about houses but we cannot get houses in rural Ireland because young people applying for planning permission are continuously refused. It is outrageous how they have been refused the length and breadth of my constituency in west Cork. There is no problem with sky-rise housing anywhere else, but in west County Cork, you cannot get planning permission for the smallest house anywhere you want to put it.

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