A recent survey held by the Land Development Agency (LDA) found that a third of tenants are paying unaffordable rents, with one in six people paying over half their income on rent. Darragh O’Brien has come out in defence citing that he has ‘effectively’ frozen rents.
When he brought in inflation-linked rents, Darragh O’Brien said that “All tenants, including students and the most vulnerable tenants, are set to gain significant protections”
With the figures released by the LDA though, it is clear that tenants are receiving zero protection. By linking rents to inflation, he has scrapped the Rent Pressure Zone increases of 4%, to be replaced by the now rate of inflation of 4.3%.
What we need to achieve proper protections for tenants in Ireland is:
- Put a right to housing into the Irish constitution. This will pressure the government to provide homes.
- Proper rent controls that also allow for rent reductions. Set maximum rents per square foot for different areas.
- Public Housing on Public Land. We can build three-bedroom houses for less than €200,000.
- Affordable houses should only be sold back to the authority from which they were purchased.
- Create a public building company that provides proper wages and working conditions. We have a shortage of building workers because of low wages, and lack of pensions and sick pay schemes.
- Ban vulture funds. Take their properties into public ownership.