Threshold Calls For State Intervention Into Rental Crisis

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The Housing Body Threshold is asking how bad the rental crisis will become before there is state intervention to bring relief for private renters.

Threshold highlights that both of the most recent reports from DAFT.ie and  the RTB Rent Index report both record high rent increases.

The RTB report indicated in increases of 9.2% on average with increases in County Tipperary expected to be higher than 10% for the year.

Advertised rents for homes were 12.6% higher between April and June than they were in the same period last year according to the latest DAFT.ie Report.

3,000 private renters have received notices to quit in the first half of this year and the number of adults and children experiencing homelessness has exceeded 10,000.

Threshold says many landlords are increasing rents by more than 2% which is the limit set in areas that are designated Rent Pressure zones.

Concern has also been expressed for students seeking accommodation – and students are warned to be aware of scams that may seek to use the situation as an opportunity to get students to part with money before all details of the accommodation have been checked.

Threshold wants the government to improve tenants’ rights and amend the taxation policy on rental income in the September budget.

Opposition politicians have called for the entire country to be rated as a rent pressure zone and for a ban on evictions to be put in place.