Almost half of Irish public want rent pressure zones abolished, says survey

Fri, 07 Mar, 2025 - 00:27

Cianan Brennan

Almost one in two Irish people believe rent pressure zones (RPZ) should be abolished as part of the solution to the ongoing housing crisis.

The latest survey from property site MyHome.ie shows further that there is some enthusiasm for the Government’s proposals to kickstart the housing sector by encouraging further private investment, with 50% of the people asked replying they think that tax breaks for developers are needed to boost rental supply.

Last Friday, updated figures from the Department of Housing showed that homelessness in Ireland had reached record levels once more, with the number of people in emergency accommodation reaching 15,286.

The MyHome survey, which was conducted with 1,853 people over the last week of February, shows that “people are less worried about how the crisis is solved” so long as they "see progress”, the website’s managing director Joanne Geary said.

Queried as to whether or not RPZs – which were first introduced in 2016 and aim to limit the extent to which rental levels can be raised by landlords – should be abolished, an idea first mooted by the Taoiseach early last month, 46% of respondents said they agreed the system needs to be done away with.

The 50% of people in favour of tax breaks for developers to boost rental supply outstripped the 39% who thought the same incentives should be offered in order to boost the supply of houses available for purchase.

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Regardless, 66% of those surveyed agreed with Micheál Martin who had said that further private sector investment would be needed to deliver the number of homes needed in Ireland.

“The significant support for developer tax breaks, as well as the abolition of rent pressure zones, in this survey underscores just how pressing the housing supply issue is for the Government,” Ms Geary said of the report’s findings.

“On one hand, it is clear that many people are postponing home purchases and renovations due to cost concerns, but on the other hand property prices keep rising,” she said.

“Perhaps against this backdrop it is no surprise that a majority of people say they are worried about the state of the property market in general.”

Some 45% of respondents had said they had put off a home purchase due to concerns over costs. The figure for those who had delayed a home renovation for the same reason was even higher at 56%.

More than three quarters of those asked, meanwhile, said are worried about the state of the property market in general.

The Government has come in for some criticism since last November’s election after it emerged that the 40,000 new houses per year target had been missed by a wide margin, with barely more than 30,000 homes completed last year.

The MyHome report’s findings served to underline that point, with 84% saying the Government could be doing more to help the property sector, while 63% of people expect the cost of housing to continue to rise over the next 12 months.