Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

People do not need me to tell them all about the housing crisis. One only has to walk out the gates of Leinster House to see people sleeping in doorways, trying to stay warm and dry. I had a mother of six children in my constituency office just this week, one of whom is seriously ill. She has been living in a bed and breakfast establishment for the last 12 months and has been told by South Dublin County Council that it will be at least six more months before she will get any offer at all. That is the context for tonight's Bill. The Bill will not end our housing crisis but it is a significant and essential part of the housing conundrum.

The Sinn Féin Rent Certainty Bill 2016 would, if enacted, provide greater protection for both tenants and landlords from volatility in the rental market as it will link any rent increases or decreases to the consumer price index. This will prevent dramatic increases or decreases in average rents, which now stand at more than €1,000 per month. The lack of real social housing units has created a deficit in supply which has pushed more and more families into the private rented sector on which other speakers have commented. The inaction of successive Governments has created the perfect storm with longer waiting lists, more people losing their homes and no new social housing units becoming available, certainly in the short term. This has been coupled with a lack of affordable housing in the private rented market, especially in Dublin, which has kept more people trapped in the rented sector. For many, rents are now unaffordable. More low-income families are being pushed into homelessness as rent supplement and HAP levels fail to keep up with rising rent levels. Our Bill will help to achieve rent certainty, allowing renters to plan and bring greater stability to their lives and those of their families. Why would anybody oppose this Bill?

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