WITH RENTS CURRENTLY top of the political agenda and one of the most discussed issues before Christmas, TheJournal.ie is hosting a Facebook Live interview with Housing Minister Simon Coveney this week.

As of the third quarter in 2016, the average Dublin rent was €1,545, peaking in the south of the county at €1,801, according to the latest Daft.ie rent report. The average in Cork City was €1,087, up 14.4% in a year.

In a bid to slow down the rise in rents, the government’s much-anticipated rental strategy was launched in December. It aims to tackle the ongoing crisis of rising rents.

Facebook Live Q & A

The Facebook Live interview with the minister will be held in Facebook headquarters in the docklands, in Dublin on Wednesday at 6pm.

As part of the rental plan, it was announced that regions identified as having rising rents would be designated ‘rent pressure zones’ by the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB).

The measures cap rent increases in the designated zones to 4% per year over a three-year period.

Rental pressure zones were brought in straight away in the four council areas in Dublin, and in Cork city.

However, the plan did not go down well with Fianna Fáil. The party took issue other regions with similar tensions in the rental market being omitted from the plan.

Following an intensive negotiation process, a deal was struck with Fianna Fáil, whereby it was agreed there be an immediate examination of the market conditions in Limerick city, Galway city, Waterford city, areas outside Cork city and the commuter belt surrounding Dublin such as Wicklow, Kildare, Louth and Meath.

The two-year rent review brought in by Coveney’s predecessor Alan Kelly still applies to areas outside the pressure zones.

TheJournal.ie will be hosting a special Facebook Live interview with the Minister for Housing Simon Coveney in Facebook headquarters in Dublin on Wednesday at 6pm. 

We want YOUR questions for the minister on the new rental strategy. 

Is your rent going through the roof? What questions or concerns do you have? What will impact you? Is there anything missing?

Send your questions to christinafinn@thejournal.ie or leave them below in the comments section by Tuesday at 5pm. 

WATCH: Simon Coveney and Katherine Zappone answer your questions about Budget 2017>

Read: ‘Rent pressure zones’ to be introduced with immediate effect in Dublin and Cork>

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