LAST UPDATE | 27 Sep 2021

THE DÁIL HAS this week been debating measures to tackle Ireland’s rental crisis and to ensure better conditions for tenants. 

During a debate last week on a Labour party bill that seeks to increase protections for tenants and freeze rents for three years, TD Ivana Bacik said the “power imbalance” between landlords and tenants needs to be shifted.

She pointed out that some leases contain a condition that tenants must pay a professional cleaner to have their rental property cleaned before they will get a deposit back, adding an additional cost of hundreds of euros in some cases. 

Bacik also called for measures to ensure renting becomes a viable long-term option for people. 

The debate followed comments from Tánaiste Leo Varadkar that the government needs to balance that “one person’s rent is another person’s income”.

Varadkar was responding to a call from Sinn Féin TD Eoin Ó Broin to support a three-year ban on rent increases. 

As the country’s politicians debate potential solutions to the rental crisis, The Journal wants to hear from readers about the situation as it stands now.

If you are, or have recently been, a private rental tenant, or are looking for accommodation right now, we want to hear about your experience. 

We’ll share your stories in a future article, similar to our housing snapshot earlier this year. 

To share your story (which can be anonymous if you wish), send 150-200 words to michelle@thejournal.ie, with the subject line ‘My renting story’.