
New RPZ rules mean you'll soon be paying even more rent. That's the whole point
Look at the rush to restrict rent caps, the only measure preventing total housing chaos.
Yet this reckless intervention is being framed as a national rollout of protections for renters - the exact opposite of what it is.
They're calling it a 'reform' of the Rent Pressure Zones, which were reluctantly brought in in 2016 and only after runaway rents had reached a peak.
Limiting rents to a 2 per cent annual hike was absolutely necessary to stop the greed.
But these changes to RPZs will leave it toothless, and pile more pain on renters. The express purpose is to make rents higher so the market is "attractive" to investors. The only thing investors find attractive is money.
Now, tenants are trapped into higher rents on both sides - forced to pay more if they stay long-term in the same place, or, if they move to a new place. Do I stay or do I go? Either way, you'll be stiffed for the highest rent possible.
Landlords will be able to 'reset' rents after six years for sitting tenants; and they can reset them too, for new tenants.
Government is determined to make the market more profitable for the investors they bend over for. This is being done on the backs of renters already stuck paying extortionate average rents of €2,000 nationally and €2,500 in cities.
The reform - rushed into legislation on Friday - will ensure more rent hikes, sparking ever-upwards market rates.
Sinn Fein's Eoin O Broin described it as "the deathknell of rent pressure zones as we know them'.
The reason it's being done is to drive rents up. Taoiseach Micheal Martin and Housing Minister James Browne have stated this. They want an Ireland of higher rents.
Martin said it was about enabling a 'stable environment in which to invest'. James Browne said: "Rents may go up." May? Will. If they don't go up, the investors won't invest.
Our leaders claim it will be more costly in the short term, but lead to more supply in the long term. What use is that to tenants? That's punishing renters to pander to investors.
It's also an empty pledge, as such investors deliver small volumes of very expensive rental in affluent parts of Dublin and Cork - helping just the chosen few.
It goes against the Housing Commission advice, which recommended RPZs stay in place while an alternative system of rent controls is formulated.
The Central Bank's Robert Kelly said the changes will 'be painful for renters'.
He said: 'It's likely to be positive in terms of the level of supply, as they have rent resets within them. But the pain felt by households is not even, due to the housing crisis'.
Good news for the investor - bad news for the renter.
The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week
Mike Allen from Focus Ireland called it 'a solution that says 'we can deliver more housing, but you won't be able to afford to live in it'. That's not a solution.'
I was at the Raise the Roof rally outside the Dail on Tuesday. I've been attending such protests since 2015, usually with my son Luc and his friend Filip. I've seen them grow from little boys into young men, over the time.
They're now taller than Eoin O Broin, who they first met at these protests when they were six or seven.
And yet it is still going on. Childhoods continue to be lost to it. This latest move makes it clear the crisis is actually profit-driven policy.
At the rally, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said they had gathered at the rally to call out the Government's "spoof and outright lies".
TD Paul Murphy correctly called it a 'manufactured crisis' that 'transfers wealth from workers to a tiny few at the top, the corporate landlords and developers'.
Deputy Rory Hearne said it is 'clearly government policy to have a permanent housing crisis'.
For a government to do that to its own people is, in my view, tantamount to treason.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Irish Examiner
3 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Relief for the industry or a blow to public health: Mixed reaction to delayed health warnings on alcohol
There was a mixed reaction to the Government confirming it would delay putting health warnings on alcohol products, from 'breathing space for a sector under pressure' to 'a blow for public health in Ireland'. At Cabinet on Tuesday, ministers heard that the introduction of health warnings on alcohol labels was being delayed by two years after concerns were raised about the impact of their implementation in the current global trading environment. It comes against the backdrop of fears for Irish business from US trade tariffs propagated by President Donald Trump, with Fine Gael ministers in particular such as Paschal Donohoe and Peter Burke raising concerns in recent months. Part of the landmark Public Health Alcohol Bill, which has seen the introduction of minimum unit pricing and advertising curbs, the measure will now proceed next year as planned but at a 'more appropriate time', Cabinet heard. Ibec organisation Drinks Ireland welcomed the move and said it provided 'much-needed relief' for drinks producers in this country. 'Our members are currently contending with major trade uncertainty, new tariffs on product entering our most important export market, the US, and threats of further tariff escalation,' it said. 'In these uncertain times, companies must be as competitive as possible to survive in international markets. This means tackling regulatory burden and reducing costs for producers.' It claimed that commentary that the now-deferred changes would not impact exports, as the labelling requirement would only have applied here, was 'misguided and disingenuous'. 'The introduction of supplementary requirements uniquely for the Irish market would have placed additional pressure on all companies operating here, and this would of course be more pronounced for SMEs,' it added. The move was also welcomed by the Irish Whiskey Association, which called it a 'reprieve' as some members would have seen packaging and labelling costs increase by over 35%. Meanwhile, Alcohol Action Ireland said it was disappointed by the Government's decision and said the measure was aimed at informing consumers about the health risks that come with alcohol consumption. 'It's not just that the government is allowing its own groundbreaking legislation to be undermined by the very industry it is designed to regulate,' its CEO Sheila Gilheany said. This delay will have real-life consequences that will be felt by ordinary Irish people every day. Labels are crucial to efforts to reduce incidences of cancer, liver disease, and foetal alcohol spectrum disorder in Ireland and indeed to change the conversation about this product which is heavily marketed as risk-free and essential to everyday living.' Ms Gilheany added that the step-by-step approach to implementing aspects of the Public Health Alcohol Bill has been slow and allowed a space where misinformation has flourished. She also criticised the failure to date to introduce stricter curbs for advertising allowed by the law, which would restrict the content of such adverts to 'facts, stripping out the industry myths which are used to recklessly promote alcohol consumption'.


Irish Independent
4 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Multi-Million euro investment to improve water quality in Mayo
The programme aims to improve water infrastructure across rural Group Water Schemes (GWS). 20 GWS across Mayo will benefit from the funding, which is the largest Government investment to date for water services in the county. The funding will support a range of projects in Mayo, including source protection measures, water treatment upgrades, leakage reduction and prevention, new community water connections, as well as the formal taking-in-charge of four Group Water Schemes and Group Sewerage Schemes in Mayo. €2.89m was granted to Callow Lake GWS for water conservation and leakage reduction. Cllr Neil Cruise from Foxford spoke to the Irish Independent and welcomed the funding. He mentioned there is a lot of pipe work that needs to be replaced due to ongoing leakage issues, 'This news is wonderful for the greater east Mayo area, this is funding that is hugely required. It is very welcomed news to help solve the ongoing issues, make things better for the environment, and protect the water.' Cllr Cruise made a motion at the last Mayo County Council meeting to develop a LIFE project in the Pontoon area, to help preserve water quality in Lough Conn and Lough Cullin, similar to the ongoing LIFE project in Lough Carra. Lough Carra GWS also received €1.2m to improve water efficiency and reduce losses. Cllr Donna Sheridan from Castlebar said that today's announcement is great news for communities in the Castlebar Municipal District. 'It is so important that we protect our water sources and ensure the highest standards in our water treatment. We must ensure that communities across Castlebar Municipal District have the benefit of high water infrastructure and water services, 'This funding, and the completion of these projects, will allow GWS to continue to improve the quality, quantity, and reliability of the water services across Mayo.' Over €7.5m has been allocated to support the taking-in-charge of dozens of group water and sewage schemes across the county, to help ensure long-term sustainability and public oversight. Minister of State, Alan Dillion TD, welcomed the significant investment saying: 'This vital funding will support the development and maintenance of essential water and sanitation services, ensuring that rural households have access to clean, safe, and reliable drinking water, ADVERTISEMENT 'The Multi-Annual Rural Water Programme is not only about improving quality of life, it also supports economic activities such as agriculture, livestock farming, and tourism, all of which depend on reliable water resources, 'This is one of the most significant investments in rural water infrastructure ever seen in Mayo. It will directly benefit thousands of households, improve water quality, reduce leakage, and ensure that rural communities have access to safe, reliable, and sustainable water services.' This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.


RTÉ News
6 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Govt's NDP is 'fantasy economics', says O'Callaghan
Cian O'Callaghan, Social Democrats deputy leader, responds to the Government's National Development Plan, describing it as vague