‘Government has no plan to stop runaway rents’ says Northside TD

Sinn Féin TD for Dublin Bay North has commented on the publication of the quarterly rent index by the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB).

The figures show that rents have risen on average by 7% across the state this year.

The average rent is now €1,352, with average rents in Dublin now at an extortionate level of €1,848.

To put this in perspective, that’s €22,176 per year on average to rent in Dublin.

“The RTB rent quarterly rent index for Q2 of 2021 indicates that rents have risen by 7% annually, the average rent is now €1,352 a month,” Teachta Mitchell said.

“Rents in Dublin have breached the 4% rent cap that was in place and have risen by 4.4%.

“The government has no plan to tackle runaway rents. That much is clear from reading the new housing plan and listening to the Minister for Housing.

“The delivery of the long-promised cost rental legislation is slow and even then, most of these rents will not be genuinely affordable.

“Ordinary people cannot afford to rent nor can they afford to buy. They remain stuck. This is not a normal way to live and it cannot continue.

“Sinn Féin has a plan for renters and a plan to deliver genuinely affordable homes. We would ban rent increases for three years and introduce a refundable tax credit worth one month’s rent for private rented sector tenants.”