Government Must Ban Rent Hikes for Struggling Tenants in Kerry

Kerry Sinn Féin TD Pa Daly has commented on his party’s call for the government to immediately introduce an emergency three-year ban on rent increases for existing and new tenancies.

Speaking after his party’s Dáil motion on the issue, brought forward by Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin, Deputy Daly said that renters in Daly need immediate support.

He added that the government must also put a full month’s rent back in every private renter’s pocket and increase supply of affordable properties to rent and buy.

Affordable Housing and Rents
Teachta Daly said that families, workers and young people deserve and need secure and affordable housing and affordable rents.   

“Yet last week’s report from the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) told us what we all knew – that there has been a shocking increase in rents across Kerry under the watch of this Government,” he said.

“Sinn Féin’s proposal to cut rents and freeze them would have prevented these increases. Instead, Government inaction saw a year on year rise of 9.7% for new tenancies and 7.8% for existing tenancies.

Standardised Average Rent

The Standardised Average Rent in the county now stands at for €1,035 new tenancies and €849 for existing tenancies.

“Fine Gael has been in Government for 12 years, and Fianna Fáil has been propping them up for seven years. But what these figures further underline is that neither party cares about renters,” Teachta Daly continued.

“The housing crisis continues to go from bad to worse under their watch, rents are at an all-time high and rising, and the Government has missed the social and affordable housing targets three years in a row.

Rents Out of Reach
“They tell us they are making an impact on housing. Unfortunately, that impact is just putting affordable housing and affordable rents further out of reach for people. 

“Is it any wonder that so many of our young people who cannot afford this level of rent are emigrating?

“Our motion, brought forward by Eoin Ó Broin, called on the Government to immediately introduce an emergency three-year ban on rent increases for existing and new tenancies.

A Month’s Rent Back
“We are also telling them to put a full month’s rent back in every private renter’s pocket and to increase supply of affordable properties to rent and buy. This motion was voted down by the government.

“These are immediate steps that they can take, but only a change of government, a change of housing policy and Eoin Ó Broin as Housing Minister will allow us to start cleaning up the mess of decades of bad Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael housing policy.”