Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 January 2018
648. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if he will meet with a national representative body (details supplied), in view of his comments in Dáil Éireann that his Department would reflect on the proposed Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill, which has been referred to the relevant Oireachtas joint committee; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4536/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government has given priority to the early publication of a Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill to address urgent issues in the rental sector.
My Department recently conducted a review of the Rent Predictability Measure on the basis of the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) rent data and the recently conducted public consultation on the operation of the Rent Pressure Zones. In that context, my Department received a submission from the national representative body referred to.
On 19 September 2017, arising from the review findings, I announced a number of measures to further strengthen the effectiveness of the rent setting and rent review laws. These include the intention to make it an offence to increase rents in contravention of the legislation and to provide the RTB with the necessary powers and resources to protect tenants from illegal rent increases.
The RTB is also planning to move towards annual registration of tenancies, which will permit the building of a national rent dataset, allowing the Board to provide benchmark rents for different property types. This enhanced data will be key to understanding trends and behaviour in the rental market as well as informing future policy decisions.
I have asked my Department to consult further with key stakeholders, as necessary, in the formulation of the priority legal provisions for inclusion in the Bill.
