Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

This debate has thrown up problems within the three emerging categories of people. For those in the Cork and Dublin areas, a 4% increase is proposed. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien, who is in the Cork area, has described people's concern that their rents will increase by 4% per year. The people in Limerick city, Galway, Waterford and the area around Dublin are in the worst possible world. Their areas have been named as ones that might be subject to rent control, but we do not know when or if. Landlords who have reached the end of the two-year cycle introduced by the former Minister, Deputy Kelly, can decide to increase rents in light of the possibility that they will be restricted from doing so in future.

In responding on why we needed to pass this legislation, the Minister stated that the time between the policy intervention and its implementation needed to be as short as possible. People in areas like Limerick city, which is where I am from, do not know how long that will be. We do not even know whether this policy will apply. In many ways, such areas are in the worst possible situation, in that they may be subject to rent increases.

The third category relates to people who will be just outside those areas. There will be no restrictions and they are likely to face significant increases if they are close to areas where rent restrictions apply.

In light of everything, some tenants are insecure as we approach the Christmas season and do not know what will happen. Many fear that, if we do not link rent increases with the consumer price index, CPI, they will be subjected to rent increases to which they would not have been had we not made this proposal on pressure zones. Many tenants will be in a worse position than they were before this debate started.

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