Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister again.

Sobering statistics today from the CSO show that rent as a proportion of total disposable income is highest for tenants living in and around Dublin with 36% of tenants living in Dublin city spending more than 35% of their disposable income on rent in 2019. This is evidence, if we need it, that we must put one month's rent back in the pocket of every renter in the State through a refundable tax credit up to the value of €1,500. That would give renters a break. Then, to stop any future rent increases, we would ban rent increases for three years and maintain rents at the current level for existing tenants and at the RTB rent index level for any future tenancies that are determined by the size, the type and the location of the dwelling.

There is nothing to oppose in this Bill; there is nothing to write home about either. We certainly should not call anything it so-called "tenancies of indefinite duration". While it reads well in the programme for Government, as mentioned by Senator Garvey, it certainly does not provide for tenancies of indefinite duration and it is deeply disingenuous to call it that. Renters can still be evicted if the property is sold. That is not tenancies of indefinite duration. We treat commercial retail units better than we do workers and families who rent. I often read, "Tenancy not affected" on the sign above the commercial unit for sale at the end of the street over the shop.

Other section 34 grounds allow for eviction on the basis of a family member moving in. In the view of Sinn Féin, this is not a good enough reason to evict a person, a worker or a family. It is not a good enough reason to evict a tenant. This combined with the sale of property accounts for 70% of evictions. Renters will not be impressed when they realise that these so-called "tenancies of indefinite duration" give them zero protection. "But I thought your man introduced tenancies of indefinite duration", they will say. "Sorry, it does not cover you", they will be told, as the property is being sold or the landlord's son is moving in.

This Bill caps rent increases in RPZs as well. A 2% cap on rent increases will have limited impact on runaway rents. We think RPZs should be scrapped and a State-wide ban should be implemented on rent increases. The latest data from the RTB shows that in every county the 4% rental cap was breached. This is because legislation has way too many loopholes and the RTB lacks sufficient resources to chase and sanction landlords who breach the rent caps. The RPZ legislation also leaves tenants outside them at the mercy of the market and facing unsustainable rent hikes of up to 50%.

Ultimately, it is dishonest to say that this is tenancies of indefinite duration. The legislation is bland and it benefits nobody. We need to do better for the one-in-four people who rent in Dublin and the one-in-five people who rent across the State. This Bill gives the impression that the Government does not understand renters. Just like the 2% cap on rent increases, there are too many loopholes. It is too difficult to police. We need a total ban on rent increases across the State. That is the only way to stop rents rising further. We need genuine tenancies of indefinite duration that protect tenants even if the property is sold and even if a family member of the landlord needs to move in.