'First refusal' proposals for renters 'legally problematic and unfair', says Fianna Fáil TD

Proposed measures would provide tenants with first refusal to buy a property if the landlord decides to sell up. The property would be subject to an independent valuation and would be sold to the tenant at this price without going on the open market.

Government measures that would force landlords to give renters first refusal in buying homes are "unfair" and would be challenged in the courts, a Fianna Fáil TD has suggested.

As part of a suite of measures to protect renters, Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien is working on legislation that would provide tenants with first refusal to buy a property if the landlord decides to sell up.