Sinn Féin has accused the Government of throwing “renters to the wolves” and crossing “a big red line” in advance of a Dáil vote on legislation that will introduce significant changes to the rental market.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin on Wednesday defended the measures and said the Government was “biting the bullet and taking action”.
Five hours have been set aside to debate the Residential Tenancies Bill 2026 in the Dáil later on Wednesday, which sets out that landlords whose properties become vacant will be able to reset rents to market rates from March 1st.
There will be no changes for existing leases. New tenancies after March 1st will be subject to a minimum duration of six years in an effort to give greater security of tenure to tenants.
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Speaking during Leaders’ Questions, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald accused the Government of “opening up the floodgates” for rental hikes.
She said the new rules would be “a hammer blow for ripped-off renters and a gift for big landlords and vulture funds”.
The Dublin Central TD said renters in Dublin would be paying an extra €3,500 per year and more than €5,200 in Galway city on top of “staggering rents already”.
“Renters have known for a long time that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael simply don’t have their backs for over a decade now, you have allowed them to be ripped off relentlessly and mercilessly, but you’re crossing a big red line here,” she told the Taoiseach.
“A Bill to allow rents to be increased by €3,000, €4,000 or €5,000, that will do incredible damage to people’s lives. It cannot go ahead, and I am urging you to scrap this.”
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Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns said the changes had not been included in Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael’s election manifestos or the Programme for Government, which sets out the Coalition’s aims for its term.
She said the Coalition misled the public on housing completion figures to “get back into power” and then “quickly went back to making policies that mainly protect developers”.
“It’s not too late to step back from the brink, Taoiseach, and abandon plans to jack up rents,” she said.
In response to the Opposition leaders, Martin said the Housing Commission had recommended reform of rent pressure zones along with the Housing Agency.
The Fianna Fáil leader said the reform of rent pressure zones would give “stability, clarity and certainty” to renters and landlords into the future and move into “the ending of no fault evictions”.
Martin said there needed to be more supply in the rental market and, if there wasn’t, “prices will continue to rise”.
“The only effective way to moderate pricing in the rental market is to increase supply,” he said.
The Taoiseach accused the Sinn Féin leader of being “interested in chaos” and said she “couldn’t care less if we provide more houses”.
