Housing 'affordability' means different things in rental debate

If the public lose confidence in ‘supply side’ responses, it seems likely they will instead focus on the demand side, ie immigration

The Community Action Tenants Union and Dublin City Council tenants at a demonstration in March to protest the council’s sweeping rent increases, which average 30% and are set to take effect on April 6. Picture: RollingNews.ie/Leah Farrell

The new rules on rent increases in the private rental sector came into effect at the beginning of last month, in a context of heated political debate. Tenants might be left scratching their heads as the Government claims the new rules will ease affordability issues, while the Opposition claim they will create an affordability crisis.

To make sense of this, we need to look at the different understandings of housing affordability being used in this debate, as well as the evidence on rents, supply and affordability.