Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Average house prices are now a whopping 35% higher nationally than they were at the start of the pandemic. Daft.ie tells us that in the past three months house prices have risen again. Coupled with a spiralling cost of living and slow wage growth, owning a home is getting further and further out of reach for far too many people. That fact is borne out by Threshold’s annual tenant sentiment survey, which it published today. It shows a staggering 94% of renters are not renting by choice. They are renting because they have no other option and are trapped in a rental casino. Their weak rights and protections mean they can be evicted at short notice for almost any reason and they are typically handing over a massive amount of money for the privilege. Three quarters of those surveyed report struggling to cover the cost of their basic expenses after paying their rent.

These findings show an overwhelming majority of renters do not want to rent, but have no other option. What are they supposed to do? What is a person supposed to do today when trying to find a roof over their head in the worst housing crisis in the history of this State, a housing crisis I have described as the civil rights issue of this generation? A mortgage is out of reach for countless people, especially those who are single or living in cities. Even the Government's affordable schemes are out of reach for many people on good salaries. We need only look at the Oscar Traynor Woods scheme in Coolock. Renting is now neither affordable nor available for those who cannot scrape together the money for a deposit to buy.

There are schemes in place and we acknowledge that, but most of them are so bureaucratic they are impossible to access, and none of them meet the real level of need. Let us take the cost rental tenant in situ scheme. It is a good idea in principle that we in Labour called for. However, in recent weeks I have been supporting people from Dublin, Kerry and Limerick, all of whom have been locked out of the scheme due to unnecessary bureaucracy, so it is not working in practice. Take the couple, both in full-time employment, who have been renting in the private sector for 20 years. They recently received a notice to quit and are now facing the awful prospect of homelessness, despite being eligible for the scheme, because the Housing Agency is stringing them along, refusing to approve the vital purchase which would keep them in their home. The homelessness figures for May will be released on Friday and I will be doing all I can to ensure this couple and so many more are not represented in next month’s homeless figures.

The Government is nearing the end of its term and, for all the launches and glossy reports, the housing plans and schemes have not worked. They have not worked to address the root problem, namely, that housing is treated by her Government as a market commodity rather than as a common good. What schemes exist are so shrouded in red tape as to be inaccessible to those who most need them. What will the Minister do over the summer in particular to address the flaws in that cost rental tenant in situ scheme? What will she do to ensure people have the necessary supports to keep a roof over their heads and stay in their homes?

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