Sinn Féin will move a Seanad motion this Monday (8th March) demanding change in the private rental sector.

The motion calls for a rent reduction equivalent to one months rent, and for legislation to ban any increase in rents for three years.

Senator Fintan Warfield said:

“The private rental sector is broken. Rents are going up and standards are going down.

“People are paying extortionate rents, trapped in a market that offers no protection.

“Others stay on with their parents, saving for a mortgage or waiting on rents to fall.

“Dublin is especially hostile for renters where the average new rent is €1,951; where luxury student accommodation is driving up prices; where ‘co-living’ developments continue to be approved despite apparently being banned; and where newly built office blocks may yet be the ghost estates of tomorrow.

“Political decisions can and will change this outlook.

“Sinn Féin’s motion calls for a rent reduction equivalent to one months rent and for legislation to ban any increase in rents for three years.

“It calls for Councils and approved housing bodies to be resourced in order to deliver affordable cost rental homes between €700 and €900 a month depending on size.

“It calls for increased inspections of rental properties by Councils and a ban on ads that feature unfit properties.

“And it calls for tenancies of indefinite duration and a plan to protect tenants whose landlords exit the market.

“I am calling on all Senators to support this motion and I’m calling on the Government to address the fundamental issues facing renters.”