Residential Tenancies and Valuation Bill 2020: Second Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2020-07-31
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Fintan Warfield (SF), Cultural and Educational Panel

We are rushing through all Stages of this legislation that deals with the biggest problem facing our society on this final sitting day. One would think that emergency legislation is rushed through Parliament to protect the most vulnerable in our society but that is not the case today. The pandemic exposed the truth that if one rents, one has little or no security. Also, much if not all of one's disposable income goes towards something one might never even own. This Bill does nothing to address rent increases. Senator Boylan has outlined the rental figures. There has been a nationwide annual increase of 5%.
There is much talk from the Government parties that the pandemic brought about certain changes and that perhaps we should not go back to the old days. This Bill provides landlords with a direct route back to the old days.
I know many good people who were and who remain in the Green Party but I am disappointed that many of its members voted for this Bill and will probably do so again today. It is a shame that the lasting legacy of the solidarity we all felt during the pandemic will be a greatly and much-needed enhanced cycle network but not an end to people having to live in tents next to them. Before the pandemic, rents were out of control. Rents are still out of control.
As a young person living in Dublin, I want to set out the reality of what happens if one is lucky enough to have a job. At least half of one's take-home pay goes on rent. That was the reality before the pandemic and it is the reality now.
This Bill is bad for renters. It is bad for the stability of the rental market. It will lead to an increased number of notices to quit and the exit of landlords from the market. It is also bad for the local economy because rent increases reduce the amount of disposable income renters have to spend on goods and services at this crucial time. I have spoken to many business owners in the constituency of Dublin South-Central, in places such as Inchicore, including Craig, who opened a coffee shop during the pandemic, and Ken, who owns the butchers and the local shop. How will their future viability be secured? Many of their customers face never-ending increases.
I look forward to the day when the Minister will come to this House with legislation that gives fairness in the long term to younger people and to renters.

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Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:48:31+00:00
Sitting date: 2020-07-31