The government must not introduce disastrous rental measures which will allow landlords to increase rents between tenancies, according to Social Democrats housing spokesperson Rory Hearne.
Deputy Hearne said:
“There’s huge concern and fear among renters that the rental measures discussed at Cabinet today will lead to higher rents – every expert at the Oireachtas Housing Committee has confirmed this sad state of affairs.
“When you remove rent caps between tenancies, you see higher market rents as a result – there is no way around it.
“Against the backdrop of a generation-defining cost of living crisis in which hundreds of thousands of people are struggling to keep the lights on and put food on their table, this government has decided to adopt measures which will raise the cost of rent – it is unfathomable.
“From March 1st, securing a new tenancy will become more expensive than ever – it’s astounding that the government believes that this represents progress.
“In the run up to the introduction of this backwards step, we’ve seen a significant increase in the number of evictions – even landlord organisations have acknowledged this fact. Tenants are being kicked out of their homes so that landlords can hike up rents before security of tenure laws are enshrined.
“Existing renters do not get any new protection from these measures – there will still be no-fault evictions, and the increased security of tenure will only apply to new tenants. The tsunami of evictions we’re witnessing will continue.
“It’s disgraceful that the Minister for Housing is ripping up our rental laws to benefit institutional investors – this is about profit margins, not about renters.
“The Social Democrats will be fighting these measures tooth and nail – the Minister must now explain how he justifies higher rents at a time when more families than ever are in dire financial struggle.
“Threshold and its northern counterpart Housing Rights’ All-Island Residential Tenancy Survey shows that even high earners are spending over a decade renting due to being unable to afford a home – how do we expect workers to save a deposit if they’re paying even higher rents than the already eye-watering average?
“This government is captured by the investor funds, and we will continue to challenge them to sever that bind.”
January 27th, 2026