Written answers

Wednesday, 5 October 2016

Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government

Private Rented Accommodation

Photo of Mick BarryMick Barry (Cork North Central, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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28. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he has had discussions with the Minister with responsibility for housing on tourism-related measures to alleviate the housing crisis; if he has considered prohibiting the advertisement on a company's website (details supplied) of professional lettings of whole apartments or houses in the greater Dublin area, similar to measures recently introduced in Berlin and under consideration in New York; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22521/16]

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Residential Tenancies Act 2004 regulates the landlord-tenant relationship in the private rented residential sector and sets out the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants. Section 3(2)(f) of the Act provides that it does not apply to a dwelling let for the purpose of a holiday. I have no function in the prohibition of advertisements on a company’s website. While, to date, I have not discussed tourism-related issues that may be impacting the housing market with my colleague, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have had significant engagement with my Government colleagues generally in the context of preparing the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness. In this Action Plan, the Government has set out a practical and readily implementable set of actions to create a functioning and sustainable housing system. The Plan is available at the website .

The Plan is divided into five pillars, with each targeting a specific area of the housing system for attention.

Pillar 4 of the Plan, which deals with the Rental Sector, commits to developing a comprehensive strategy for the sector by the end of this year. The strategy will be structured around 4 key areas: security, standards, supply and services. In terms of supply, the strategy will focus on maintaining existing levels of rental stock and encouraging investment in additional supply. In developing the strategy, I will be examining all issues that affect the availability of dwellings in the rental market, including short-term lettings.

The overarching objective of the strategy will be to increase supply and support the development of a stable, strong and viable rental sector, offering true choice for households and investment opportunities for providers, reflecting the rights and responsibilities of tenants and landlords.

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