Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I flagged this with the Minister previously. In regard to private rented accommodation, where landlords can avail of the deep retrofitting grant and they can ask a tenant to move out while the work is ongoing. By law they have to offer the property back to the tenant but because the property has been brought up to a certain BER standard they are exempt from the limits of the rent pressure zone. While by law they can offer the property back to the tenant, they do not have to keep the rent as it was. They can hike the rent up. I asked the Minister who said it would be monitored as the scheme goes forward. Is the SEAI monitoring that in regard to who the applications are coming from? For example, is the deep retrofitting scheme primarily going to private rented property, be that landlords or vulture funds? This could be a real problem.