Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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19. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the actions he has taken to mitigate the serious distress and harm being caused by the sudden ability of landlords to increase rents by 8%. [33894/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Act 2020 provided that arent increase was not permitted to take effect during the period from 27 March 2020 to 1 August 2020. From 1 August 2020, the blanket ban on rent increases inside or outside of a Rent Pressure Zone (RPZ) was lifted for all, apart from the most vulnerable tenants.

The Residential Tenancies and Valuation Act 2020 (RTVA) and subsequently, the Planning and Development, and Residential Tenancies, Act 2020 (PDRTA) provide that rent increases were not permitted to take effect during the period from 1 August 2020 until 12 July 2021, for tenants with rent arrears due to Covid-19 and at risk of losing their tenancy who make the necessary declaration. 

Measures introduced on 1 August 2020 assist tenants who might face rent arrears on foot of a rent increase. Any notice of termination grounded on rent arrears must be copied to the RTB and will be invalid if it is not so copied. A notice of termination grounded on rent arrears can only be served by a landlord on the condition that a written rent arrears warning was given to both the tenant and the RTB and that the arrears were not paid within 28 days (doubled from 14 days) following receipt of the warning by the tenant or by the RTB, whichever occurs later. The RTB will acknowledge receipt of the warning notice to the landlord and tenant and provide the tenant with written information to enable them to get advice from the Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) and on the income and other supports available.

The Government published the Residential Tenancies (No. 2) Bill 2021 on 17 June 2021 which, if passed by the Houses of the Oireachtas on or before 12 July 2021, will extend the targeted protections of the PDRTA for a further 6 months until 12 January 2022.

Rent reviews could be carried out at all times during the pandemic and rent decreases could, and can, take effect. A rent increase is payable by relevant tenants from the end of the given emergency period.

The operation of the rental market and the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2021 are kept under constant review and any necessary legislation will be introduced.