The Social Democrats launched the party\u2019s Renters\u2019 Charter in Galway today.<\/p>\n
The charter, which sets out 10 actions to deliver secure, affordable homes for renters, was launched by Galway West by-election candidate M\u00edde Nic Fhionnlaoich, and Rory Hearne TD, the party\u2019s housing spokesperson.<\/p>\n
M\u00edde Nic Fhionnlaoich said:<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter Dublin, Galway city is the second most expensive place to rent in Ireland. And in Conamara, a generation of young people are being pushed out of the communities they grew up in because of the Government\u2019s failure to regulate short-term lets, resulting in a chronic shortage of rental properties.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast year, the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) flagged Galway as a key area of concern due to the level of rent increases. Rents for many properties in Galway are simply not affordable for workers on average incomes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe extent of the crisis was laid bare in the most recent \u2018Locked Out of the Market\u2019 report by the Simon Communities of Ireland, which found no properties to rent in Galway within standard Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) limits, and only 31 available to rent at any price.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Renters\u2019 Charter we are publishing today outlines 10 key measures to address the housing crisis in Galway and across the country in a meaningful way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Deputy Rory Hearne said:<\/p>\n
\u201cRenters have been thrown to the wolves by this Government. Just yesterday, figures released by the RTB confirmed that evictions in Ireland rose to their highest levels since the Famine ahead of the introduction of new rental laws in March of this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince 2011, rents in Galway have increased by 140 per cent \u2013 from \u20ac766 to \u20ac1,833 \u2013 which is higher than the national average.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur Renters\u2019 Charter aims to give people hope by putting forward practical solutions to the rental crisis. Our proposed measures include a three-year rent freeze; an end to no-fault evictions; building 25,000 affordable rental homes over five years; a ban on vulture funds buying up existing homes; and a clampdown on illegal short-term lets.<\/p>\n
\u201cCrucially, our charter calls for housing to be seen as a human right \u2013 and not just an asset for investment funds. This should be enshrined in the Constitution, by holding a referendum, in a way that would place a significant responsibility on the Government to vindicate this right through its laws, policies and actions.\u201d<\/p>\n