Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I think we can agree that we are witnessing the departure of a significant number of small-scale landlords from the Irish market. We need to have a functioning private rental market providing homes for individuals and families on an ongoing basis. When I look at the data, I can see the number of notices of termination that have been served. Over 24,000 were served from the third quarter of last year to the third quarter of this year and in the majority of instances the reason cited for the serving of the notice of termination was the intention of the landlord to sell the property concerned. The RTB data on the number of tenancies registered shows that in 2017 there were 313,000 tenancies registered with the RTB. The latest figures we have for 2022, based on a system of annual registration, stood at 246,000. That is a very significant reduction, which has resulted in a tightening of the rental market, making it more and more difficult for people to access accommodation in the private rental market. I believe this measure will help to retain some small-scale landlords in the market, providing homes in towns and villages around the country for tenants.

See this speech in context