Protections for tenants who live outside Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) could be extended to the entire country within weeks
It is understood that Minister for Housing James Browne will bring forward legislation to make the country a ‘national rent pressure zone’.
Tánaiste Simon Harris confirmed in the Dáil on Thursday morning the legislation would be brought forward next week.
The move will reduce the possibility of the around 20 per cent of tenants who live outside the current RPZs in cities and towns being hit with rent increases prior to the new national rent control system being brought in as part of wider reforms next March.
The legislative process will have to be fast-tracked if the changes are to be brought in before the Dáil rises for its summer recess in mid-July.
In renewed angry exchanges in the Dáil over the Government’s rental proposals, Mr Harris said: “we’re extending Rent Pressure Zones nationwide, and we’re also keeping for existing tenants that two per cent rate” of allowable rent increase annually.
He insisted that the Government’s proposals would protect renters currently not covered by RPZs.
Sinn Féin finance spokesman Pearse Doherty claimed the Government “is at sixes and sevens” and “caught up in a damage limitation exercise” over its “botch-job” proposals.
He said “it’s panic stations from Government. This morning, the Government is scrambling around like headless chickens trying to find a way to rush forward the changes to rent months before the Dáil breaks for the summer.”
Mr Browne’s spokeswoman rejected an accusation by Sinn Féin that the Government was “scrambling around under pressure from the Opposition and changing their plan”.
Currently rent increases in RPZ areas cannot be greater than the rate of inflation or 2 per cent – whichever is lower.
There is currently no such cap for people currently living outside RPZs where the rule is that landlords cannot charge more than the market rate of rent and rents can be reviewed every two years.
Concerns have been raised that people living outside RPZs could face rent increases before the wider reforms are due to kick in next March.
The legislation to address this is to be brought forward next week and it will extend the current RPZ system nationwide until the end of February 2026.
Sinn Féin’s housing spokesman Eoin Ó Broin accused the Government of changing its plans after Opposition pressure.
He said: “The Department of Housing told journalists on Tuesday that the RPZ extension would take place in March 2026.
“After Sinn Féin highlighted that this would put renters outside RPZs at risk of huge rent hikes as their landlords would seek to raise the rent in anticipation of the application of the caps Government changed the plan and are proposing to deal with this issue more quickly.”
[ Lorcan Sirr: This is a housing strategy written by Flann O’BrienOpens in new window ]
A spokeswoman for the Minister for Housing, Mr Browne, rejected Mr Ó Broin’s assertion that the Government’s plans were changed after Opposition pressure.
She said: “At a technical briefing department officials outlined that the amended system of Rent Pressure Zone controls and tenancy protections would be introduced from March 2026 which is correct.”
However, she added: “The extension of the current Rent Pressure Zones to a national zone was and is intended to be introduced in the coming weeks as per the Government decision on Tuesday.”
She said the memo to Government on Tuesday outlined how it will “approve the priority drafting of necessary legislative amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act to extend RPZs until February 28th, 2026, and deem all areas of the country as an RPZ”.
She said this was agreed and the memo also stated “As such, it is proposed to bring forward priority legislation to extend the protections of RPZs to non-RPZ areas at the earliest possible date.”
The spokeswoman added: “There is no scramble, the Government agreed to this approach on Tuesday.”
Trinity College Dublin Professor Ronan Lyons, a former member of the now-disbanded Housing Commission, said he has “no doubt” there will be instances of rent increases for some tenants living outside RPZs before the changes are introduced, but added: “I’m not sure it’s going to be widespread”.
He said: “What often happens is that within a tenancy if there’s a good match between a landlord and a tenant that a landlord may not be making sure to keep the rents as high as possible as frequently as possible.
“Are they going to turn around now and upset their tenant by trying to increase the rent ahead of some change in the system?
“I think it’s unlikely,” he added, given that such landlords will have an opportunity to reset rents once their tenants leave under the wider reforms due to begin next March.
