Michael Byrne: Budget 2024's tax relief for landlords 'a shot in the dark'

If non-registration is indeed a key part of explaining the discrepancy between the CSO and RTB figures, it may suggest that in recent years we have witnessed not so much landlords fleeing the sector, as landlords fleeing regulation.

It may come as a surprise to many readers, given the frequency with which we are told that the private rental sector (PRS) is shrinking and landlords are fleeing, that the private rental sector is in fact not shrinking but growing and, moreover, we have very limited information about whether, and to what extent, landlords are in fact leaving the market. File photo

The Government’s decision to include a tax relief for landlords may well prove to be one of the most controversial aspects of the Budget 2024. 

In a housing system in which lots of people are feeling pain, it’s inevitable that questions will be asked about a measure that favours a cohort who are often seen as particularly privileged, given that the vast majority of landlords own at least two houses when many are struggling to acquire their first.