Rental Sector: Motion
Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-27
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James Browne (FF), Wexford

I thank the Sinn Féin Senators for initiating the motion and I thank colleagues for their contributions to what I consider to be an important discussion in the House. Housing and homelessness are defining social and economic issues for this country and they have my unwavering focus and priority. Access to suitable, affordable and safe accommodation and secure tenancies is essential for every family and individual. The Government is mobilising the most significant resources in the history of the State to tackle the challenge at hand. I reassert the Government's commitment and determination to tackle the challenges in the housing sector.
The Government's goal is to have a housing system that genuinely responds to the needs of our people and has safe and secure homes for people to grow up and grow old in, regardless of where they are in life, what pay band they are in or whether they are renting or intend to own. No one in the Government underestimates the scale of the challenge. We must ensure that we enhance supply as much as possible.
I recognise the strain and stress that can be caused by the scarcity of rental accommodation, the rent pressures that often accompany it and those who may end up in homelessness. I am doing my utmost to tackle this and improve the situation. We have to increase the supply of all types of homes, including social, affordable and cost rental, and increase the availability of homes and rooms in the private rental market and to purchase. Only a sustained increase in the supply of homes of all tenure types can actually solve this problem sustainably. Other measures are temporary at best and will do little to get what we need in terms of the number of homes people need throughout the country.
An eviction ban and rent freeze would have a significant impact in deterring the medium and longer term supply of rental accommodation. It would act as a disincentive to landlords who are considering entering the rental market and for investors who supply the number of homes needed to part solve these challenges. A freeze on rents would only freeze the rental crisis without a solution. We need to provide hope, not only for those renting but also for those who cannot find anywhere to rent and need the supply of homes increased.
It is clear that the motion was prompted by the recent publication of the Daft rent report. However, the rent index report published by the RTB is the most accurate and authoritative rent report of its kind on the private rental sector, as it tracks actual rents paid and not asking prices. It is independent in how it puts together its evidence to provide the figures available. It is important, in the context of this debate, to focus on the evidence we have and on facts. Nationally, standardised average market rents continue to rise for new and existing tenancies but the rate of new tenancy rent increases has been relatively stable for the last six quarters at a national level. The rent index for quarter 4 of 2025 showed that year on year rents in new tenancies increased nationally by 5%. However, there was a decrease of 1.1% from quarter 3 of 2025, which is a positive sign. The rent index for quarter 4 of 2025 showed that year on year existing rents increased nationally by 4.4% and by 0.7% quarterly. This again demonstrates a moderating trend.
The number of private landlords rose by 1.3% annually to 105,847, indicating increased participation in the rental market. It shows there is no mass exodus of landlords from the market. The latest data published by the RTB shows continued resilience in the Irish rental sector, with ongoing growth in tenancies and landlords in the market. This is important when we look at the increase in the number of homes delivered last year and the number of tenancies. We are providing more homes for people throughout the country.
We have to implement an ambitious plan to reform practically every aspect of our housing system. Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030 is that action plan. Despite the challenges we face, the plan is moving the dial in the right direction. There is momentum and we will drive on. I am determined to do that. We are working tirelessly to address the challenges and implement policies that make a positive difference to individuals and wider society. While there is still much to do, the motion initiated by Sinn Féin Senators does not fairly represent the efforts and progress made to date.
It is important that I reiterate the real progress we have made in recent years, including that relating to social and affordable housing delivery. I will set out the key changes we have introduced and our plans to scale up the supply of housing across all tenures. Between July 2020 and the end of 2025, almost 59,000 social homes were added to the social housing stock and more than 15,000 homes were brought back into use under the voids programme. Local authorities are delivering affordable homes, with funding of almost €690 million approved from the affordable housing fund to support the delivery of over 7,650 affordable purchase and cost rental homes by 25 local authorities. Over the past five years, almost 149,000 new homes have been delivered.
This is significant progress but there is recognition that we have to build on it. The Government has implemented a range of measures in recent years to ensure a balanced housing market across all tenures, including home ownership, social and affordable housing and private rental.
The recently enacted Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026 introduced a new national rent control for all new tenancies, which limits rent increases. It also now means that Ireland offers among the strongest tenancy protections in Europe, with these measures providing the most robust tenancy protections in the history of this State.
These changes were also introduced to help to attract and increase the supply of rental properties. Ireland is facing a shortage of rental homes, especially apartments. The reforms aim to encourage investment and development, while also providing stronger protections for tenants. It will take time for new supply to materialise given the nature of investment decisions and large-scale residential development. Affordability is also at the heart of the Government’s housing policy, as embodied within our housing plan, with the Government targeting the delivery of 72,000 new social homes and 90,000 affordable supports. The plan reinforces and expands the range of existing measures being implemented by the Government to tackle the issues of supply and affordability, thereby supporting the increased provision of new homes to purchase and rent.
Record levels of social and affordable housing delivery have been achieved in recent years. In 2025, a total of 9,089 new-build social homes were constructed. This is the highest delivery of social homes in the history of the State. It is an increase of 1,256 homes, or 16%, compared to 2024. Over 42,000 new-build social homes have been delivered between 2022 and 2025. I am providing substantial funding to local authorities, the Land Development Agency, LDA, and the approved housing bodies.
To support increased delivery, the national development plan has committed record levels of funding. In 2026 alone, a record level of investment is being provided for housing delivery, with €5.2 billion in Exchequer capital funding complemented by investment through the LDA and lending from the Housing Finance Agency. This brings the total capital funding for housing in 2026 alone to over €9 billion. This record level of funding is supporting the delivery of social, affordable and cost-rental homes. This capital funding will be supplemented by over €2 billion in current funding to address housing needs. Since the launch of cost rental in 2021, around €2.25 billion in Exchequer funding has been approved for cost-rental projects.
I wish to emphasise that the programme for Government recognises the important role that the private rental sector plays in housing for many people and will continue to do so into the future. This Government will address the challenges in this sector, including standards, security and affordability. The Government recognises that there is a need to urgently and substantially scale up housing delivery, including emergency accommodation and social housing. This will take some pressure off the rental market.
There has been clear progress and we have a solid foundation upon which to build for the future. The reforms we have introduced have taken time because they are so comprehensive and far-reaching. Housing delivery envisaged under Delivering Homes, Building Communities is focused through short, medium and long-term actions. The Government is working every day to deliver on its comprehensive and detailed plan of action.

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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/2026-05-27/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:00+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-27