The Citizens Information Board believes a ruling that three tenants suffered discrimination by being refused access to the housing assistance payment (HAP) will deter other landlords from seeking to shy away from the scheme.

Private landlords’ group the Irish Property Owners Association (IPOA) has been reprimanded by the competition regulator over a press release and a meeting where it discussed levying new charges for tenants in response to government plans for rent controls.

The Irish Property Owners Association (IPOA) says it is considering bringing in a raft of new charges in response to the Government's rent caps.

Update 9.15pm: The Dáil has finally passed all stages of legislation that will cap rent increases in so-called "pressure zones" at a maximum of 4% per year.

Tax breaks allowing landlords to offset the cost of paying local property taxes against what they owe Revenue are being considered as part of measures for next week’s budget.

Extended tax relief measures for landlords are being considered as part of next month’s budget in a bid to stop numbers leaving the sector.

The Government has been urged to step up implementation of its action plan on housing and homelessness after the latest Daft.ie report showed spiralling rental costs have now outstripped levels last seen in the boom.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny should declare a national emergency on rent and housing, a leading homeless campaigner has said.

The Labour Party has confirmed that proposals by Environment Minister Alan Kelly for rent controls to be linked to the rate of inflation are unlikely to be introduced by the Government.

Stephen Faughnan of the Irish Property Owners Association (IPOA), tells us “71% of landlords have insufficient income from their rental property to cover the mortgage repayment. This is an appalling statistic and unsustainable”. (Irish Examiner, Letters, August 19)

A meeting of members of the Irish Property Owners Association (IPOA) in Cork in recent days drew a capacity attendance and denounced a number of government measures. We heard that rent control or certainty cannot be reintroduced in Ireland as a viable solution to the housing situation.

Landlords will be obliged to pass tenant details to Irish Water and new tenancy agreements will compel occupants to pay water charges, under new legislation.

A Minister has claimed that landlords “may not have got a full understanding” of controversial government proposals to address arrears in water charges payments.

The Department of Social Protection is still refusing to clarify how much the Government water conservation grant will cost to implement, despite growing pressure for the full expense to be revealed.

Landlords will hit renters with a €1,000 "water charge deposit" in addition to the existing rent deposit on a new home if they are forced to act as Irish Water’s "collection agents".

Landlords are threatening to impose a water charge deposit on tenants, if the Government goes ahead with plans that would make the owner of a property liable for unpaid water bills.

The body representing residential landlords says it is "unbelievable, unacceptable, and unfair" that its members may be required to collect tenants’ outstanding water charges on behalf of Irish Water and has suggested the provision may be unconstitutional.

Households who do not pay the water charge could face bills and penalties of more than €1,000 within three years.

Anti Austerity Alliance TD Paul Murphy said the concessions made by the Government are not enough to stop widespread protests against water charges.

Members of the public who return blank application forms in protest against water charges will be processed as having registered with the utility, Irish Water has confirmed.

Fine Gael is facing a new crisis after several of its councillors in Donegal last night supported a motion to scrap water charges.

Land prices rose 14.3% last year for holdings of up to 50 acres in the dairy stronghold of Munster, but poor access to banking finance is impeding growth, a report has found.

A number of groups are joining forces to call for "fair play" for small businesses which are in negotiations with banks over credit difficulties.

An organisation of landlords has raised concern over a proposal by Housing Minister Jan O’Sullivan that a law be introduced to cap private rentals.

We at the Irish Property Owners Association (IPOA) have accused the Government of what we call “taxsault” — assault by taxation.

Employers’ group Ibec has urged the Government to effectively double the controversial new property tax on householders to ease the burden on business.

It is to be hoped that Government will emerge from their financial stupor, over the coming days, and make provision for the payment of a Christmas welfare bonus, in December.

As landlords and tenants heap criticism upon the Government for its latest cap on rent supplements, opposition party politicians have warned the payment could be cut again in this year’s budget if social welfare payments are to be preserved.

RTE aired a Prime Time programme on May 10 outlining some dire conditions in the private rental sector, consisting of four cases of the most exceptional circumstances.

There are so many voices advocating for the interests of property owners that another even more sizeable group in our society is completely ignored.

I REFER to the recent letter in your paper from Stephen Faughnan from the Irish Property Owners Association (Jan 19).

WE call on Minister Burton to publish the report which details her department’s study on the rental sector and shows where rent supplement is more than market rate.

SOCIALIST TDs said they would “stand to the very end” against a new property charge and but would not say if they were willing to go to jail over their boycott.

Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan has said landlords are responsible for payment of the €100 household charge for any properties they own.

People who rent their homes could be hit with the €100 household charge announced in last week's Budget, if the body representing landlords gets its way.

PROPERTY owners are “facing bankruptcy” following the Government’s decision to scrap Section 23 relief and have said they will challenge the legality of the decision.