Why Landlords Have A Big Influence On Irish Politics

Ireland has some of the worst laws for tenants in Europe. You can be evicted if a landlord is selling property or renovating. There are no proper rent controls, so rents are sky-high.
Landlords have an undue influence over Irish politics. 31 TDs have declared themselves as landlords earning more than €2600 a year in rent.
They include the Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar as well as eight other Fine Gael TDs. One-third of Fianna Fáil TDs are landlords.
The biggest landlord is Michael Healy Rae who owns over a dozen properties in Kerry, including houses at 12 different locations, multiple apartments, and student accommodation.
Most of the main parties include landlords and these include Sinn Féin, Labour and the Greens.
None of the People Before Profit TDs are landlords.