Noel Rock (Dublin North West, Fine Gael)
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254. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to link rent increases and decreases to the consumer price index; given this, his plans to take account of inevitable regional variances between the rise of accommodation, for example, a 3% rise in County Roscommon where the average rent is €473 is very different from a 3% rise in Dublin where the average rent is €1,663; and his views that percentage-based increases will leave Dublin renters at a greater disadvantage than they are at present. [15690/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015, enacted on 4 December 2015, introduced a number of measures to address rent stability and housing supply. In relation to rent stability, the Act provides, inter alia, that the minimum period between rent reviews for tenancies is being increased from 12 to 24 months and this new provision will apply for a 4 year period. In addition, the minimum period of notice of new rent is increased from 28 days to 90 days and longer notice periods for the termination of long-term tenancies have been introduced. Each of these new provisions commenced on enactment.

Further provisions to support rent stability in the 2015 Act include:

- that notice of new rent sent must be in a prescribed form, include details of dispute resolution procedures available through the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) and be accompanied by details of rent in respect of 3 comparable dwellings in the area;

- that notification of a rent increase to the RTB will include, among other things, a signed statement by the tenant that they are aware of their rights in relation to rent and rent reviews.

The rental market in Ireland has grown significantly in recent years and now accounts for around 20% of total Irish households. In Dublin rents are now back to 2007 peak boom-time levels. The most recent RTB rent index shows that in the first quarter of 2016, rents were 8.6 % higher nationally than in the same quarter of 2015. Data for Q1 2016 show that rents have continued to increase, although the rate of growth slowed in most sectors in the first quarter.

Ultimately, the key to addressing rising rents in the medium to long term is through increasing the supply of housing. Housing is an absolute priority for this Government and, accordingly, a key priority of the Programme for a Partnership Governmentis the preparation and publication of an ‘Action Plan for Housing’ within the Government’s first 100 days. The Action Plan will be drafted with input from a number of key Departments, and will draw on the work of the Special Oireachtas Committee on Housing and Homelessness, which is due to submit a final report to the Dáil by 17 June 2016.