Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for the response. It is a pity that, generally, the senior Minister, Deputy O'Brien, does not answer my questions during priority and oral parliamentary questions, while he does so for other Opposition spokespeople.

Specifically on this issue, rents in Ireland are among the highest in Europe. Security for renters, especially after the Government's decision to remove the eviction ban, is among the lowest in Europe. Despite this, some corporate landlords are circumventing rent regulation laws by charging additional fees in addition to core rent. To give one example, aparto, the student housing platform, which is owned by real estate giant Hines, is charging students as much as €65 a week for room costs on top of their rent. Given how high rents are, these extra charges are putting a huge burden on renters. What specifically is the Minister of State going to do about this? When he says they can refer matters to the RTB, he must be aware that the RTB is massively under-resourced and massively ineffective in dealing with complaints from tenants and landlords.

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