Irish Examiner view: Flip balance of power from owner to renter

Radical measures needed to tackle housing crisis

The cost of housing, in general, is reaching such levels that only radical measures can counteract them.

The cost of rent across Ireland has increased nationally at a rate of 7% for the second quarter of 2021, a level of increase that the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) has described as a “source of concern”.

That’s putting it mildly. The cost of housing, in general, is reaching such levels that only radical measures can counteract them. If the Covid pandemic has shown us anything it is that, in an extreme emergency, extreme measures are needed.