Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

One of my amendments was ruled out of order. It would affect the Title because it would be a substantial provision in the Bill. There is a big problem with new tenancies and the setting of their rents which neither current nor proposed legislation deals with. For a brand new tenancy the rent can be set at any level at all. We can see that rents are being set at extortionate levels. There was a place in the docks where they were talking about charging €3,300 a month. Something has to be done about that.

I am not sure why my amendment was ruled out of order but I will check with the Bills Office. I am not challenging that decision but the proposal was that the RTB should set rents for new tenancies, that affordability should be a factor in setting them, and that the Minister should provide guidelines as to how that might be done in consultation with this committee. One of the reasons RPZs are not limiting rents to the extent that the Minister or we might want is that new tenancies are being created all the time. The more building there is, the more will be created and landlords are totally free to set rents at whatever level they like. Something has to be done about that but nothing is being done about it.