General election: Housing battle sharpens as parties clash on rent freezes

The battle lines on housing between opposition parties and the outgoing Government sharpened last night with calls for a three-year rent freeze rejected by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.
In the wake of Wednesday’s report on prices in the sector from Daft.ie, which showed rents had increased by twice the rate of inflation during the year to the end of September and now average €2,476 in Dublin and €1,955 across the rest of the country, the Social Democrats and Sinn Féin yesterday pledged a three-year freeze, while Labour said it would freeze rents indefinitely.
The Social Democrats published a 10-point plan that included a promise to end “no-fault” evictions and ban vulture funds from buying up existing homes.
Speaking at a campaign event, Sinn Féin’s Louise O’Reilly said tens of thousands of people were having to work harder and longer “just to afford somewhere to live. This is completely unsustainable. We believe that the right to affordable accommodation is a basic entitlement for workers”.
The Social Democrats’ Rory Hearne said theparty was setting out “a radical reset of housing policy to give renters protection, real security of tenure and rents that are affordable”.
The Irish Property Owners’ Association, which represents private landlords, said it is committed to “an evidence-based approach in policymaking” and that this “includes supporting a regulatory stay to ascertain the impact of current Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) and indefinite tenancy legislations”.
It said, “Landlords are leaving in their droves due to current Government inaction on rent controls and RPZs. The July 2024 Department of Housing Private Rental Sector Review states that 42 per cent of landlords left in the 26 months up to December 2023.”
Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil hit back at the opposition proposals, rejecting the three-year freeze idea, insisting it would lead to a reduced supply of rental properties.
[ Election 2024: Mary Lou McDonald says Sinn Féin-led government would cut rents and ban rent increases for three yearsOpens in new window ]
“We don’t believe that an outright ban on increases will have any impact other than to dissuade more investment in the sector, therefore reducing the numbers of properties to rent,” Fianna Fáil said.
It said that, in government, Fianna Fáil had “effectively frozen rents” by linking any permissible increases in RPZs to inflation.
Fine Gael said that it had already “introduced a range of measures to help renters and also small-scale landlords”.
“These include the renter’s tax credit, a cap on deposits, the rent pressure zones … as well as tax relief for small-scale landlords who undertake energy improvement works and commit to keeping their house/apartment available for rent.”
The Green Party said that it would extend the duration of the RPZ legislation and would also enlarge its scope to include other areas if necessary.
Meanwhile, Taoiseach Simon Harris said last night that he will commit to abolishing the means test for the Carer’s Allowance, a key demand of advocates for carers. It is anticipated that Mr Harris will also announce the introduction of a new Family Carer Payment of €325 per week if Fine Gael is returned to government after the election.
The Fine Gael manifesto is expected to promise an immediate doubling of the weekly income limits, so that a couple can earn €2,500 per week and still qualify for the full Carer’s Allowance payment, and to continue increasing the limit each year, with the means test completely phased out over the lifetime of the government.