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

I thank the Deputy. It is very hard to find anywhere to rent in Ireland at the moment. There are very few properties available for rent. That is true for people who are on HAP and also for those who are not on HAP. It is very hard to find somewhere to rent even in small rural towns where it would have been very easy in the past. It has become a very serious issue. What can the Government do about it? It can increase housing supply through the cost-rental programme which we are accelerating, providing properties to rent at below the market rate; and build social housing. We will provide more social housing this year than any year in the history of the State, which is a very significant intervention in the housing market. Rental properties will be freed up as a result. The third response, of course, is looking at reasons landlords are exiting. For every landlord that comes in, two now leave.

That is a problem and we need to look at what we can do around that.

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