Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

All of us, including the Minister, agree that there are issues with some landlords regarding deposits and the fact that they use the rate of deposit as a mechanism to preselect potential tenants and deter a cohort of people from their properties. There are many good landlords, as I have stated in all of these discussions, and this is not casting aspersions on all of them. One month's rent as a deposit should be sufficient. That is the norm in Ireland. There were arguments to the effect that it is two or three months in other parts of Europe. When we examine the level of rents here, however, rent pressure zones aside, the average rent now in Dublin is nearing €2,000 a month. Asking someone, therefore, to come up with €2,000 for one month's rent and €2,000 for one month's deposit totals €4,000 of gross income. That is a large amount of money. I am interested to hear the Minister's response to the amendments tabled by Deputies Catherine Martin and Shortall.