Rent pressure zones will be extended until the end of 2021 with the qualification outside of Dublin to be tweaked.

There are calls for the Government to bring in legislation which would stop landlords charging prospective tenants upfront fees and high deposits.

Regulating AirBnB could free up around 3,000 homes across the country for renters, according to a Labour Senator.

A national register detailing how much landlord TDs rent out properties for would ensure transparency and prevent politicians using their position to ramp up rental prices.

The rental market is “in crisis” with landlords likely to increase rents this year by 8% despite rent caps of 4% in urban areas, industry group the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland predicted in key 2018 forecasts, writes Eamon Quinn.