Catherine Ardagh (Dublin South Central, Fianna Fail)

I am sure the Deputy is familiar with this. I think he is a lecturer in economics. We know from junior cert economics that when supply is increased in the market, prices stabilise, if not come down. This is something we have probably all studied and it is really the basics of economics; it is economics 101.

I am very glad to speak on this Bill. It is about ensuring fairness, certainty and protection for renters across the country. My constituency of Dublin South-Central has been part of a rent pressure zone, RPZ, for quite a while. Renters there have benefitted from some these crucial protections. Make no mistake; the Bill is hugely important for us, as my friend already said, because it brings the rest of the country in line with the RPZ legislation and gives consistency to renters around the country. From the day it passes, every single part of Ireland will become an RPZ. This means that rent increases will be capped at 2% or the rate of inflation, whichever is the lower. This is not just a minor adjustment but rather a simple, clear and strong protection for people who are trying to plan their lives in what has been an incredibly unpredictable rental market.

This Bill is about much more than just rent caps. It is also the vital first part of a wider set of reforms that will come into effect from March 2026. These reforms will ensure that we will see more supply in the market, because that is what we need. We know that if supply increases, rents come down. That is what people want in the long term. From March 2026, all new tenancies will come with six-year security of tenure, which is a game changer for stability. There will also be a significant end to no-fault evictions, especially in the case of landlords with multiple units. We will introduce more transparency and fairness in rent reviews. This will ensure a level playing field for everyone.

I would like the Minister to ensure that Residential Tenancies Board, RTB, is properly funded. At the moment there are huge delays and it is very difficult to get any sort of decisions both for landlords and renters. For renters in Dublin South-Central, whether they are front-line workers in Kilmainham or a single parent in Rialto, these long-term changes will make it genuinely easier for them to stay in their homes, raise their families and finally have the much-needed stability they need.

We know that 83% of tenancies in Ireland are currently in RPZs. This tells us two critical things. First, that rent controls work when they are targeted and sensible. Second, it is now abundantly clear that it no longer makes sense to have a patchwork of rules depending simply on the post code. In Europe, RPZ have historically worked well. This brings us in line with other European countries.

In Dublin South-Central, we have been living with the aspects of these rules for quite some time. They have genuinely helped renters across the city. Now we need the next stage, which includes six-year leases, proper eviction protections and the consistency across the country, which this Bill brings. I commend my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Browne, and the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, on bringing this legislation forward. There is so much work to do when it comes to housing in Ireland. It is a crisis and we all need to be working together to come up with solutions. This is a good solution. I think everyone said they were backing the solution, backing the idea of extending the RPZs to the whole country. We need to work together on this crisis because we live on a small island. It is a crisis and if we can put our shoulders to the wheel, as the Minister has, we will see proper results.

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