Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026: Committee and Remaining Stages Dail Éireann — 2026-02-11 ============================================================ John Cummins (FG), Waterford I cannot accept amendments Nos. 9, 31 and 38. The Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Act 2020 provided for an emergency period during which a landlord is prohibited, under section 5 of the Act, from serving a notice of termination. Section 4 of the Act provided that the emergency period could only be extended from its initial three months, under very specific circumstances in the interest of public health during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Government could, on the request of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage make - after consultation with the Minister for Health, and with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service, Reform and Digitalisation, - from time to time, by order extend the emergency period for such period as they considered appropriate if they were satisfied that, having regard to the threat to public health presented by Covid-19, the highly contagious nature of that disease, and the need to restrict the movement of persons in order to prevent the spread of the disease among the population, the making of such order was in the public interest. As the emergency period under the Act expired on 1 August 2020, its provisions relating to residential tenancies are effectively spent. It would not be appropriate or legally sound to now use legislation intended to prevent the movement of persons in the interest of public health during a pandemic and to ease consequential rent affordability pressures, to introduce a three-year moratorium on tenancy terminations and rent increases at a time when thankfully, we have no pandemic to deal with. Irrespective of how the Opposition wishes to give effect to an eviction ban or a rent freeze, the Government rejects such policy interventions. We wish to grow the supply of rental accommodation. We want to help renters into the future. We know that some renters are facing significant challenges, which Deputies have articulated in their contributions. The State provides support and assistance, where needed. The Government’s new plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities, will provide 90,000 affordable supports to help people secure a home of their own. Since 2022, 4,500 homes have been delivered by AHBs, local authorities and the LDA. There is a strong pipeline of future developments, with over 5,150 additional affordable purchase homes approved for support from the affordable housing fund across 22 local authority areas. From budget 2026, cost-rental homes will be exempt from corporation tax, making projects more viable and ensuring the 25% discount is maintained. The rent tax credit, introduced in budget 2023, has been of significant help for renters, with almost 400,000 people benefiting in 2023. In budget 2026, the credit was extended for three more years, until the end of 2028. As promised in the programme for Government, the amount of the credit will increase gradually over the lifetime of this plan. A lengthy eviction ban or rent freeze would hamper supply and ultimately, help nobody. We do not have to look too far away from here. In Berlin, the Government introduced a rent freeze that resulted in a 50% reduction in rental supply within 12 months and was struck down by the Supreme Court there. The Residential Tenancies Acts provide tenancy protections for both tenants and landlords. The constitutionally protected property rights of landlords have to be respected by the balanced provisions in both this Bill and the Residential Tenancies Acts. A landlord has the right to terminate a tenancy on one or more of the limited grounds for termination under the Acts. This Bill strengthens protections for tenants by restricting the rights of landlords to terminate a tenancy, including on the ground of family occupation. I encourage anyone at risk of homelessness to make contact with their local authority for help. For new tenancies, that is, first-time tenancies between parties created on or after 1 March 2026, a smaller landlord can only terminate a tenancy of minimum duration during its six-year term on the ground of occupation by the landlord or an immediate family member, which is restricted to a spouse, civil partner, child or parent, or both. A smaller landlord can terminate, as usual, on one or more of the limited grounds for termination at the end of this six-year tenancy of minimum duration. Landlords with four or more properties can only terminate a new tenancy where there is a breach of tenant obligations or the dwelling no longer suits the needs of the tenant household. As a result, I reiterate I cannot accept amendments Nos. 9, 31 and 38. --- 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/dail/2026-02-11/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:02+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-02-11