Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026: Committee Stage (Resumed)
Seanad Éireann — 2026-02-19
============================================================

James Browne (FF), Wexford

I am speaking to amendments Nos. 4 to 6, inclusive, and 8, which are grouped. I cannot accept the amendments.
On 10 June 2025, the Government announced policy measures to come into operation from March, immediately following the expiration of the rent pressure zones. As I said, the Government wants to provide certainty, clarity and stability for the rental sector and these measures have been informed by extensive and comprehensive work by the Housing Agency. The Bill aims to boost investment and the supply of homes available for rent and significantly strengthen tenancy protections. Delivering on these policy measures is an absolute must since they were announced last June. We have already seen progress.
I wish to highlight the encouraging apartment deliveries statistics. After a very significant drop-off in apartment delivery in 2024, the CSO figures show a 38.7% increase in apartments in 2025 compared to 2024, with more than 12,000 apartments completed. This is the highest completion figure for apartments since the CSO began collating data in 2011. The Government's announcement in June is already playing its part in reversing the fall-off in apartment delivery. We need to pass this Bill, implement the changes from March and get supply to where it needs to be.
The reality is that supply needs to match demand. Sooner rather than later, we can make rents more affordable as we grow supply. The national rent control will play its part, along with many other measures the Government is taking under its new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities. We are creating the conditions to bring that supply forward, in the private rental sector and social and affordable housing sectors.
Stronger protections are provided for tenants in new tenancies created on or after 1 March 2026, including tenancies of a minimum six years' duration. This will be the first time in the history of the State that we have security of tenure. That is what the Opposition is voting against. The removal of the option of no fault evictions for larger landlords is an extraordinary step being taken by the State. It is common in other countries. Again, this is what the Opposition is voting against. Security of tenure will, without a doubt, greatly strengthen tenants' rights.
My Department and the RTB will continue to keep the operation of the residential rental sector and the RTB, as well as amendments in the Bill, under constant review, with a view to making any necessary legal changes in a timely manner. Of course, all legislation is kept under review when passed. It is kept under review by the Department, Government, Dáil and Seanad. Nothing is kept more under review in this country than housing. It is kept under review by various housing bodies, agencies, the private sector and Opposition parties.
The work of the Housing Agency and Housing Commission over recent years and their recommendations have very much helped to inform this policy. The RTB is resourced to implement and enforce new laws. The necessary resources are being provided. There is Exchequer funding of up to €22.8 million, a 70% increase in a single year. I am somewhat bemused by the proposal which seems to ignore the substantial and extraordinary increase in funding for the RTB. It needs this funding and I am adamant about ensuring that the RTB is properly resourced to secure tenants' rights. The RTB currently prepares necessary reports, and this will continue with the benefit of past enhanced data under the Bill.
With regard to amendment No. 4, we know introducing more effective and stronger tendency protection measures will need more and better enforcement. The Programme for Government 2025: Securing Ireland's Future commits to continuing support for renters and landlords and this includes measures to protect renters and landlords from abusive practices by enhancing the enforcement powers, funding and resources of the RTB. It is important for landlords and tenants that disputes are resolved early to the satisfaction of both and that tenants are protected. My Department has worked closely with the RTB.
I note Sinn Féin's call for all local authority social housing to also come under the RTB and the reference to the police policing itself. The police in local authorities are the councillors. Their job is not simply to call for things. In fairness, most councillors know that and hold their officials to account. It is the councillors, through budgetary processes, policy and the oversight mechanisms, who ensure that the officials are doing their job. If there are homes in the condition described, that is outrageous and unacceptable. Any officials allowing that to happen should hang their heads in shame. It is for the councillors to ensure that those officials are being held to account.
There is a constant policy from Sinn Féin that the solution for local government is to give it more money, but to also move accountability to somewhere else, in this case the RTB or, as is often the case in the Dáil Chamber, require me to make officials or councillors do their job.
We have independent local democracy that is very well funded. There are very well-paid officials, and they need to do their job. This constant call for me or somebody else to go in and do it for them is beyond ridiculous.
We have to ensure that local government is doing its job and that we have the necessary oversight measures in place. We can see this with, for example, the national planning framework and the rezoning being done by several local authorities. The most fundamental job of local authorities is to exercise their role as housing authorities. However, we see local authorities dragging their feet in terms of rezoning land to allow us to obtain planning permission and get homes built. I am sending out the message to those local authorities that are dragging their feet. Not all of them are doing so. For example, the local authorities in Mayo and Waterford have already completed their variations. Other local authorities have a significant amount to do. The Government will not stand idly when it comes to rezoning and to officials who are not stepping up to the mark to provide zoned land in order that we can obtain planning permission and get the homes built. We have to be solutions oriented in our approach.
In relation to this legislation, what we are doing is strengthening tenants' rights. For the first time in the history of the State, we will have security of tenure. This means that means people will have certainty as to how long they can stay in a property. I often hear it said that the average tenancy is only three years and six months. It is, and that is not acceptable to me. We are bringing in security of tenure in order that people will know how long they can stay in a property, that their rights will be granted and that they will have a sense of security in the context of the properties they are renting. I fully expect that the average of three years and six months will increase significantly.
We know that notices to quit are driving homelessness. Again, this is about security of tenure. At the moment, there is little or nothing to stop landlords issuing eviction notices. We know this and we have seen it. As I say, what we are putting forward will grant tenants their rights. It is quite extraordinary that the Opposition is fighting this. I know that doing so provides an opportunity for a lot of soundbites, but Senators know full well that the measures in the Bill represent an extraordinary step to protect renters. For them to be voting against those measures is extraordinary.
As usual, we have heard no proposals from the Opposition. We had the general election, and Sinn Féin's housing solution was affordable homes that people were never going to get mortgages for on land that people would never be allowed to own and that the Government of the day would decide who they could be sold to. Sinn Féin's solution was homes that people could never own, and the people rejected it.

---

Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted.

Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-02-19/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:39+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-19