Sharon Keogan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister. The Residential Tenancies (No. 2) Bill is another Government effort to patch up the pandemic-sized hole in the tapestry of this country. For patchwork, the Minister is doing a decent job. The pandemic has left our already compromised housing market with a stream of tensions and issues. It is important to recognise that. It is also important to recognise that some of the legislation that has been passed during the pandemic is effectively gloss. We are passing amendments and provisions that will not fix anything but admittedly ease hardship and assist those who need assistance. However, will the Bill fix the problem renters face in this nation? Will it fix the issues tenants face? Will it solve or improve the crisis in our housing market in any meaningful long-term way? No, it will not.

For the most part, I welcome the Bill and many aspects of it. I welcome the fact that the Government is extending protections for tenants who, through no fault of their own, have found themselves in rent arrears thanks to Covid.I welcome the fact that the Government is extending protections for tenants who, through no fault of their own, have found themselves in rent arrears thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic and never-ending lockdowns.

In a briefing note provided to Senators, it was claimed that low-income tenants are disproportionately employed in sectors severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. They need the assistance the Bill will provide. I welcome the fact that the Government is offering specific protections for students renting student accommodation. Several of the protections are those called for by the Union of Students in Ireland. Students will only be required to give 28 days' notice if they need to terminate their residency. Students will also not be required to provide upfront payments to secure their accommodation. For students in third level education who have suffered through a year and a half of educational uncertainty and who continue to live in limbo as regards their college experience and life, these are positive steps.

However, I do not welcome other aspects of the Bill that bring change. This is not the first short-sighted Bill that we have enacted in recent weeks. Unfortunately, I do not think it will be the last. Renters are not suffering solely because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Renters suffered before the pandemic and they will suffer long after the it if this Government refuses to address the issue of supply. I spoke previously on the issue on Second Stage of the Affordable Housing Bill 2021. I remarked that the Bill was an expensive and ineffective solution to the housing crisis. Now, we are again adopting legislation that only patches up holes in the tapestry. It only glosses over the gaps. It kicks the problem further down the path.

In Covid times there is a certain element of patching required and a certain degree of glossing needed. Of course, problems have had to be kicked down the path to deal with the major problems at hand. It is vital that we realise that this Bill does not fix or solve and it does not serve any long-term change. Under section 2, certain tenants are protected from rent increases and evictions until January 2022. It is much-needed and provides protection of which many will be glad. However the protection is only in place until January 2022. What happens after that? Can the Government ensure that we will have an open-ended and functioning economy, free of stresses and strains and without lockdowns being imposed? Can the Government ensure that those in rent arrears because of the Covid-19 pandemic be positioned to get themselves out from under these arrears by January, or it continue to extend, enhance and endeavour to avoid effective and everlasting solutions?

On that note, what about those who do not benefit from the enhanced protection provided in this Bill such as those who are in rent arrears because rents are too high, as opposed to pandemic-related reasons? The Bill overlooks them. No Bill that we have passed of late serves them in any meaningful way. We provide subsidies and myopic solutions; we do not provide houses or affordable houses. We do not facilitate our landlords, planning developers and builders to provide them. According to the Central Bank of Ireland, 34,000 new dwellings will be required every year for the next ten years to meet demand. The ESRI has predicted that we will build only 15,000 houses this year. It is safe to say that our supply requirement will not be met. Supply is the elephant in the room.

Under section 5, provisions will permanently enact a ban on upfront payments to the value of more than two months' rent when securing tenancies. However, this does nothing to bring down monthly rental costs, so it does nothing to benefit renters in the long term. In addition, this change makes the life of landlords more laborious. I heard an interview with Margaret McCormick of the Irish Property Owners' Association a few weeks ago. Ms McCormick outlined the impact of the deposit-related restrictions on landlords. As she pointed out, landlords are the ones taking the risk. If it becomes unaffordable for them to rent property then they will stop letting property. If that happens, supply will tighten. While demand remains high, prices will continue to rise. What does it matter, then, how much the landlord can ask for in an upfront payment?

I welcome the Bill. Students need protections, which they are getting.Those struggling in the face of the pandemic need protection, which they are getting, but there are very few solutions in this Bill. It is a temporary measure of indefinite solution. I welcome the Bill and I invite discussion about the longer-term plan. Infinite extensions of emergency restrictions are getting less effective by the second.

I wish to highlight something outside the scope of the Bill. The Minister increased the grant to renovate vacant homes from €40,000 to €60,000. Between 2017 and 2020, only 247 people availed of that scheme. In light of the ever-increasing costs of renovating homes, the Minister might need to review that and increase the amount from €60,000 to €80,000. I would appreciate his comments on that.