Rent strategy plan doesn’t go far enough says housing charities

Housing charities have welcomed the publication of the Government’s new strategy for the rental sector but said it did not go far enough, with some pushing for the rent pressure zones to be quickly extended beyond Dublin and Cork.

However, the body which represents private landlords said the new measures signalled “the death knell of the private rental sector” and warned that it could prompt many landlords, and particularly those with properties in the areas affected by the rent pressure zones, to walk away.

Among those giving a guarded welcome to the Government’s plan was the Simon Communities in Ireland. Its national spokesperson, Niamh Randall, said she welcomed rent predictability limits in Cork and Dublin but warned that other parts of the country could not afford to be ignored.