Results 161-180 of 20,607 for speaker:Brian Stanley

Endometriosis Care in Ireland: Motion [Private Members] (15 Jul 2025)

Brian Stanley: I welcome our guests in the Public Gallery. I have heard similar stories to the testimonies from the last two Deputies, and particularly the testimony Deputy Whitmore read out from a woman who wrote to her. It might not have been as long, but snippets. As a man, constituents have told me similar stories about this problem over the years and particularly in recent years. We have to stop...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Issues Facing the Residential Rental Sector: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Brian Stanley: I welcome the witnesses. I will start with the Irish Property Owners Association. On the number of tenancies and landlords, is it correct that they have both been decreasing all the time?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Issues Facing the Residential Rental Sector: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Brian Stanley: They both have. The RTB figures show that the number of registered private tenancies is up 4.6% annually to 240,604. The number of landlords grew by 1.4% in the past 12 months. Where is the mix-up?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Issues Facing the Residential Rental Sector: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Brian Stanley: In a word, what is the problem? Is it that landlords are not being honest when registering? Is that what is happening?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Issues Facing the Residential Rental Sector: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Brian Stanley: What is the other side?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Issues Facing the Residential Rental Sector: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Brian Stanley: There are other figures that show the number of tenancies and the number of units rented are up. The number of overall units is up. I know there was research showing that. Is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Issues Facing the Residential Rental Sector: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Brian Stanley: I am talking about private tenancies.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Issues Facing the Residential Rental Sector: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Brian Stanley: I understand that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Issues Facing the Residential Rental Sector: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Brian Stanley: I have come across a few.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Issues Facing the Residential Rental Sector: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Brian Stanley: I accept that. I am just watching for the time.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Issues Facing the Residential Rental Sector: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Brian Stanley: The number of registered tenancies is up. The number of registered landlords is up. I understand that some might not have been registered or had difficulty registering. However, the actual number of rented units is up. The IPOA stated earlier that where tenants have low rents, there is evidence of black market activity whereby they are subletting to other tenants. Is there much evidence...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Issues Facing the Residential Rental Sector: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Brian Stanley: The 46% level would surprise me, because from what I see I would not have thought it was anything near that. Of course, there will always be somebody who will do that, but I would not have thought it was as widespread.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Issues Facing the Residential Rental Sector: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Brian Stanley: Right, okay. People are more honest down the country. I can understand why that would be regarding the anecdotes. People are more anonymous and there is not as much on-the-ground evidence in relation to it. Turning to the fix for this issue, I get it concerning a landlord who has been charging a very low rent historically because he has a good tenant. I know people who have second houses...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Issues Facing the Residential Rental Sector: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Brian Stanley: Is Ms Conway saying the rents would revert to the average market rent in the general area?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Issues Facing the Residential Rental Sector: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Brian Stanley: Ms Conway, is saying that, for example, if I am charging 60% of what the market rent is in an area now, I would continue to charge 60%, go up 4% each year and then at year five the rent would level out and come up to whatever the market rent is in the area.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Issues Facing the Residential Rental Sector: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Brian Stanley: In effect, it becomes a reference rent of sorts.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Issues Facing the Residential Rental Sector: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Brian Stanley: Okay, it does not look at the size of the property or other factors. From the witnesses' experience, what is the highest proportion of a person's net income or household income that should be spent on rent?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Issues Facing the Residential Rental Sector: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Brian Stanley: Would that be of net income?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Issues Facing the Residential Rental Sector: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Brian Stanley: I would like the views of the Irish Property Owners Association on top-up rents. Over the past 20 years, particularly in the past ten, I have come across the increased use of such rents. Particularly with HAP, a tenant will pay so much to the council but there is then a top-up payment to the landlord that is far in excess of the amount of the top-up. As a result, the tenant ends up paying...