Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 July 2016
263. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will consider introducing measures to incentivise landlords to rent homes on a long-term basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23613/16]
View answerIn publishing Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness this week, the Government has set out a practical and readily implementable set of actions to create a functioning and sustainable housing system. The Plan is available at the website www.rebuildingireland.ie. The Plan is divided into five pillars, with each targeting a specific area of the housing system for attention. Pillar 4 of the Plan, entitled Improve the Rental Sector, commits to developing a comprehensive strategy for the rental sector in Q4 2016. The strategy will be structured around 4 key areas: security, standards, supply and services. One of the specific measures that will fall to be considered under the heading of security is the scope for a move to indefinite leases, replacing the Part 4 four-year tenancy, perhaps with incentives for landlords to waive their right to terminate a tenancy in the event of the sale of the property.
In addition, the Plan commits to the introduction of a new affordable rental scheme to enhance the capacity of the private rented sector to provide quality and affordable accommodation for households currently paying a disproportionate amount of disposable income on rent. The objective of this scheme will be to provide long -term affordable accommodation for low to moderate income key-worker households in urban areas of high demand and provide an economic incentive to increase supply of rental accommodation. The actions under Pillar 4 also include a commitment to examine standards, costs and feasibility of Build-to-Rent on a large scale, and commission research on ways in which further investment might be encouraged.
The overarching objective of the strategy will be to increase supply and support the development of a stable, strong and viable rental sector offering true choice for households, investment opportunities for providers and reflecting the rights and responsibilities of tenants and landlords.
