Rebecca Moynihan (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise the reported legislation coming before this House to limit rent increases to 2% or the rate of inflation, whichever is lower. While this is very welcome in terms of stabilising rents in the long term, immediate action must be taken to provide a short-term intervention and a rent freeze for tenants. We are told there are legal impediments to that, but we know it is possible because, when he was Minister, Deputy Alan Kelly implemented an effective two-year rent freeze on rent increases in 2015.

Covid and the lack of supply have led to a rental accommodation crisis. Last year, we had a rent growth of 7%, despite a supposed 4% limit in three quarters of the country. Let us take a look at the counties that were affected. It was not just urban centres such as Dublin, Cork, Galway and elsewhere. There was a rental increase of 17.3% in Leitrim. The rate in Kilkenny was 15.5%. In Clare the rate was 16.1% and in Mayo it was 11.8%. This does not just affect urban centres; it affects the whole country. Every single county has had rental increases in the past year of more than 4%. Despite that, just 29 landlords were sanctioned for breaking rent cap rules. We need an immediate rent freeze to stabilise the rental market and to bring rents back in line with wages. We also need proper enforcement of the rules.

One of the reasons renters have not reported increases to the Residential Tenancies Board is because they are afraid of losing their homes. One could ask why that is the case. It is because we have some of the worst tenancy rights in Europe. There are approximately 350,000 people living in private rented accommodation. The largest cohort of families entering homelessness are coming from the private rented sector. Since the end of the ban on eviction, we have seen a month-on-month increase in the number of families entering homelessness. People are banned from having pets or are being charged pet rents. We know the importance of pets to families, particularly children who are living in rented accommodation. What we need is proper renters' rights. We need to have affordable rents with a rent freeze. We also need proper standards and security of tenure for renters in this country.