Elaine Loughlin: Browne becomes minister for muddled messaging amid rental change confusion

New measures are aimed at 'attracting private investment while protecting tenants'

'We want to provide certainty, clarity and stability for the rental sector', housing minister James Browne said on Tuesday, as journalists scratched their heads.

James Browne is quickly becoming the minister for muddled messaging and utter confusion as he scrambles to get a grip on housing.

When you are explaining you are losing, but within hours of bringing forward changes that will add tiers within tiers of regulations for renters to try get their heads around, the housing minister's adviser had gone a step further in issuing a clarification.

It came after members of the opposition repeatedly raised a line in the press release issued after Cabinet signed off on measures which the coalition say are aimed at attracting private investment in the rental sector, while protecting tenants.

"All landlords will have the right to reset rent where the rent is below market at the end of each six-year tenancy," a now exercised Paul Murphy, repeated the statement for the fourth time when pressing the Taoiseach for clarity in the Dáil.

Clarity, or at least attempted clarification, came by way of a WhatsApp message to political journalists, which stated that the six-year tenancy of minimum duration will only apply to new tenancies which begin after March 1, 2026, meaning the 200,000 tenants currently covered by existing rent pressure zones will see no change.

"We weren't clear in that line and it should have been clearer," Mr Browne's adviser admitted.

It summed up the entire announcement.

There was more than a little surprise when Mr Browne, the softly spoken Wexford TD with a legal background, was plucked from the obscurity of junior ministerial ranks and elevated to the department of housing.

There were widespread murmurings around Leinster House that micro-managing Taoiseach Micheál Martin would effectively be running one of the most difficult departments in Government. It hasn't been helped by Mr Martin's vocal approach to housing which is in contrast to his minister, who has taken time to find his voice.

The belief was cemented further when in an interview with the Irish Examiner back in February, Mr Martin put forward a wide range of proposals on housing and indicated for the first time that the Government would be making significant moves on rent pressure zones (RPZs).

Signalling a major departure from current housing policy, Mr Martin said changes to entice more private market input as well as a full review of the rental market were now required.

Tellingly, Mr Martin packaged the issue almost as a personal responsibility and not a task that would be delegated to his minister.

"I'm prepared to look fundamentally at everything again, because we need higher volumes," Mr Martin said, adding that "nothing should be off the table".

But as the final decision on RPZs was made to much criticism from all corners, it was Mr Browne who was left standing at a single podium outside Government Buildings on Tuesday, and was given the task of explaining the multiple changes. All of which carry bamboozling caveats, exceptions, and exemptions.

The RPZ system, due to expire at the end of the year, has in effect been extended nationwide, and sees all existing tenancies come under a 2% cap or inflation, whichever is lower.

Except it won't be a full rollout as rent increases in new developments will be capped by inflation and not the 2% limit to incentivise new development of apartments.

Anyone who enters into a new tenancy from March next onwards will see their rent set at market value and will be offered a six-year minimum rolling tenancies.

At the end of the six-year tenancy, the rent can be reset and "put back to the market", meaning the first series of rent resets will take place in 2032.

But for those already in tenancies, the six-year clause will not apply.

Confused enough?

Mr Browne had even more details to complicate the matter on so-called 'no-fault evictions'.

The headline read that tenants will no longer be subject to such evictions. Except, of course there will be an exception, the ending of no-fault evictions only applies to larger landlords, that is those who have four or more tenancies. Landlords with three or fewer tenancies will still be able to ask renters to leave if they want to sell up; renovate the property; need it back for a family member, or intend to change the use of the dwelling.

"We want to provide certainty, clarity and stability for the rental sector," Mr Browne said in outlining the changes as journalists scratched their heads.