Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There are two aspects to the rental crisis we are facing. One is affordability and the other is availability. When a property goes for rent, within a very short period there could be hundreds of emails from people who are looking for somewhere to rent. On affordability, we have brought in a law that limits rent increases to no more than 2% a year. That has been important for many existing tenants, but the real underlying problem is one of availability. The Deputy will know as well as I do that people are leaving the rental market. A certain amount is being replaced by cost rental, led by the Government, and a certain amount is being replaced by funds, but those everyday mom-and-pop landlords, as they are often referred to, are leaving in their droves. We will need to consider what policies are necessary to turn that around. They may not be politically popular but they are necessary.

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