A small step in the right direction - Rent controls

HOUSING Minister Simon Coveney’s plan to limit rent increases was bound to be an imperfect solution to a seemingly intractable problem. It has, predictably, attracted the wrath of Sinn Féin, who say it will put on a statutory footing the right of landlords to increase rents by 4% a year, operating as a target rather than a limit.

Yet, considering that rents have been rising in Dublin and Cork by up to 20% over the past 12 months, something had to be done and, at least, Mr Coveney’s plan is a start.

If Sinn Féin’s response was predictable, so was Fianna Fáil’s. According to Mr Coveney, Micheál Martin and his party have behaved in a very cynical manner by first indicating to him that they would not object to his plan and then, in the Dáil, getting all hot and bothered about it, demanding last-minute changes and a reduction in the cap from 4% to 2%.