People Before Profit says Government refusal to introduce a proper regime of rent controls is turning a “housing crisis into a housing disaster”
In a statement, Richard Boyd Barrett TD, People Before Profit Housing spokesperson, has reacted to the latest Daft.ie quarterly report on the cost of rents, which showed that average rents in Q4 of 2021 had risen a massive 10.3% on the same period the previous year.
Deputy Boyd Barrett said, the Daft figures “further confirm the utter failure of the government to address the spiralling rental crisis.”
Deputy Boyd Barrett said that “the government’s RPZ restrictions on rent increases were always destined to fail because they have no mechanism to control the rents set by landlords on newly constructed apartments or homes.”
Deputy Boyd Barrett said the calls of other opposition parties to freeze rent increases or give rent refunds, while well intentioned, would also not address the rental crisis and rent spiral, because they would not affect the rental price at which newly constructed ‘build to rent’ apartments would be set at.
Deputy Boyd Barrett pointed out that average rents in Dún Laoghaire are now €2,200 per month – the highest in the country. He warned that Dun Laoghaire has “always been a weather vane for what is going to happen with rents in the rest of the country.”
Deputy Boyd Barrett said:
“The rental crisis is fast turning into a rental disaster. A more than 10% increase on already totally unaffordable rents in just one year, exposes the utter failure of the government’s policies. This will make the cost of renting simply unbearable for vast swathes of people, it will drive many more into homelessness.
“People Before Profit have warned repeatedly for several years, that the governments RPZ limits on rent increases were destined to fail, and that only a proper regime of rent control where rents are set at affordable levels can bring the rental crisis under control.
“What’s happening in Dún Laoghaire is now absolutely disastrous and unsustainable. Average yearly rent is now over €26,000 per year. This is totally and utterly affordable for the vast majority of working people, never mind those on dependent on HAP, where the highest homeless HAP rate is €1,900. In Dún Laoghaire now, anyone now looking for rental accommodation is facing the real prospect of ending up homeless. This is the direction the rest of Dublin and the rest of the country is heading.
“We need emergency measure now and that means serious rent controls that set rents at affordable levels. Nothing else will stem this disastrous spiral.”
