A RALLY WILL be held in Dublin tomorrow to protest rent increases for council and HAP tenants.

Under the plans by Dublin City Council, social housing tenants would see the first change to how their rent is calculated in 30 years.

Councillors were told that higher rents are necessary due to the projected cost of carrying out needed maintenance on social housing properties in the city, most of which were built between 1930 and 1977.

Some tenants could face a rent increase of up to 50% under the proposal, with the amount of additional rent people will be expected to pay being calculated on the basis of their income, and what category they fall into (i.e. single parent households will have a different rate). 

This kind of rent review has not been carried out by the council since 1996.

Council officials told local councillors that there is currently a €55.6 million funding gap between the cost of running its social housing programme and the combined income from rents and government grants. 

They also found that just over a fifth of households benefiting from the current rental cap have an income that is over €1,000 per week. 

Currently under the scheme, households are charged 15% of the primary earner’s weekly income after €32, and are charged a maximum of €21 if there is a subsidiary earner in the house. 

There is also a maximum weekly rent that a household can be charged depending on the size of their property, which officials are recommending be done away with. 

Under the new plans, households would have the first €50 of the primary earner’s income left unassessed, and would face an 18% charge on the rest of their weekly income, and there would be a €40 additional maximum charge if there is a subsidiary earner. 

The plans do try to mitigate burdening families, as they propose increasing the €1 per child weekly deduction for households with children or young adults aged 18-22 in full-time education to €2. 

The plans project that the changes would bring in an additional €35.5 million annually for the council. 

Sinn Féin Councillor Daithí Doolan said his party will vote against the increase at a council budget meeting tomorrow. They say the hikes will put further pressure on families who are already struggling with the cost of living crisis.

“People are being pushed to the pin of their collar trying to cover the cost of food, heating and fuel. The last thing working families need are increases in rents and property tax,” he said.

There will be a rally outside City Hall tomorrow at 5.30pm to coincide with the vote. The rally is organised by the Sinn Féin, Progressive Alliance and CATU.

Doolan’s view is that people shouldn’t have to pay more, especially if they live in poor conditions, despite the council saying the money would fund upgrades. 

With reporting by Eimer McAuley