James Browne
Wexford · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“I cannot accept amendments Nos. 10 and 11. The interpretation of "lawfully resident" and "habitually resident" is construed in accordance with section 20A, which sets out the new residency requirements for social housing applicants.”
“The safety net provision is to be provided by the local authority on a night-to-night basis, and this is to allow local authorities to reassess the circumstances each day to determine whether the safety net should still be provided.”
“I cannot accept amendment No. 21. This amendment proposes the introduction of a social housing passport allowing households to transfer between local authority areas while retaining their original waiting list or transfer list position. The amendment as it stands is well-intentioned.”
“No one factor is intended to be decisive and it is not necessary for a person to score strongly on all five factors outlined in section 20A(7) in order to get a positive decision. However, the local authority decision-maker must be confident that there is strong evidence that it is the applicant's main centre of interest.”
“In relation to Senator McCarthy’s amendment, while it was a very well intentioned and constructed amendment, it has been disallowed. It was not my decision on those matters. I am satisfied the safeguards and safety net are there for those who are not entitled by way of legal or habitual residence.”
“In practical terms, if an Irish citizen has severed ties abroad and has decided to return home, the process of establishing habitual residency could be determined from day one.”
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“As regards the conducting of reviews amendment, which is in a couple of the proposals here, Dáil Standing Order 204 provides that: Twelve months following the enactment of a Bill, save in the case of the Finance Bill and Appropriation Bill, the member of the Government or Minister of State who is officially responsible for implementation of the Act shall provide a report which shall review the functioning of the Act and which shall be laid in the Parliamentary Library. There are rules there that will have to be done. The Housing Agency continues to review the market and everything happening there as well. I do not think there is any area more closely analysed than housing, right across the board. While I understand the intent behind them from the Senators and the proposals for those reviews, I do not believe they are necessary.”
“It is also doing some significant work around digitalisation to make everything more effective and efficient and we will see more data being put online. I do not believe a workforce plan is needed there. We have an effective and functioning Residential Tenancies Board that perhaps was not funded in the way it should have been in the past. It needs a step up with funding and that is why we have been providing it.”
“Look at the UK and London, for example, and how few homes are being built there, despite the major housing crisis. We cannot take the economy for granted and we cannot underestimate the challenge this country is facing, out of a lot of positives, but we need to deliver supply. As regards the first amendment relating to a workforce plan for the Residential Tenancies Board, I have great faith in the CEO there, Rosemary Steen. We have seen a big step up in challenging landlords who have not abided by the rules and who in some cases have acted disgracefully towards their tenants. I have great faith in Ms Steen, her team and the board. We are backing it with a 70% increase in funding and further funding will be made available.”
“A significant number of those people were Irish people returning home, but there were people coming from other countries as well, to work in our healthcare, technology and pharmaceutical sectors, as well on our farms and in other areas. As I said, this has enriched our country and increased the diversification of our country, which is very positive. An estimated increase in the population of 810,000, though, requires about 250,000 homes. That population increase reflects the economic success this country has had, and that cannot be taken for granted. In Europe where there is a housing crisis in almost every country, we are almost unique in that we have the funds to try to address supply and affordability. Most countries are not in that situation.”
“The Government is putting record funding into housing. There is in excess of €9 billion for housing and water this year alone. One third of the funding for the national development plan is going into the delivery of housing and water. We know that we need at least €20 billion a year to deliver the homes we need. The Government cannot supply all that funding. We also have to build the schools, hospitals and roads we need to deliver right across the country. We need investment to deliver these homes. That is the reality of it. There is no other way to deliver the homes we need. Since 2014, the population of this country has increased by over 800,000 people. This has enriched our country and increased diversity.”
“We have to deliver supply. This tactic of shouting a Minister down whenever he or she says something that people do not like really shows the shallowness of what those people either have or do not have to offer in relation it.”
“I know that doing so provides an opportunity for a lot of soundbites, but Senators know full well that the measures in the Bill represent an extraordinary step to protect renters. For them to be voting against those measures is extraordinary. As usual, we have heard no proposals from the Opposition. We had the general election, and Sinn Féin's housing solution was affordable homes that people were never going to get mortgages for on land that people would never be allowed to own and that the Government of the day would decide who they could be sold to. Sinn Féin's solution was homes that people could never own, and the people rejected it.”
“We are bringing in security of tenure in order that people will know how long they can stay in a property, that their rights will be granted and that they will have a sense of security in the context of the properties they are renting. I fully expect that the average of three years and six months will increase significantly. We know that notices to quit are driving homelessness. Again, this is about security of tenure. At the moment, there is little or nothing to stop landlords issuing eviction notices. We know this and we have seen it. As I say, what we are putting forward will grant tenants their rights. It is quite extraordinary that the Opposition is fighting this.”
“The Government will not stand idly when it comes to rezoning and to officials who are not stepping up to the mark to provide zoned land in order that we can obtain planning permission and get the homes built. We have to be solutions oriented in our approach. In relation to this legislation, what we are doing is strengthening tenants' rights. For the first time in the history of the State, we will have security of tenure. This means that means people will have certainty as to how long they can stay in a property. I often hear it said that the average tenancy is only three years and six months. It is, and that is not acceptable to me.”
“This constant call for me or somebody else to go in and do it for them is beyond ridiculous. We have to ensure that local government is doing its job and that we have the necessary oversight measures in place. We can see this with, for example, the national planning framework and the rezoning being done by several local authorities. The most fundamental job of local authorities is to exercise their role as housing authorities. However, we see local authorities dragging their feet in terms of rezoning land to allow us to obtain planning permission and get homes built. I am sending out the message to those local authorities that are dragging their feet. Not all of them are doing so. For example, the local authorities in Mayo and Waterford have already completed their variations. Other local authorities have a significant amount to do.”
“It is the councillors, through budgetary processes, policy and the oversight mechanisms, who ensure that the officials are doing their job. If there are homes in the condition described, that is outrageous and unacceptable. Any officials allowing that to happen should hang their heads in shame. It is for the councillors to ensure that those officials are being held to account. There is a constant policy from Sinn Féin that the solution for local government is to give it more money, but to also move accountability to somewhere else, in this case the RTB or, as is often the case in the Dáil Chamber, require me to make officials or councillors do their job. We have independent local democracy that is very well funded. There are very well-paid officials, and they need to do their job.”
“The Programme for Government 2025: Securing Ireland's Future commits to continuing support for renters and landlords and this includes measures to protect renters and landlords from abusive practices by enhancing the enforcement powers, funding and resources of the RTB. It is important for landlords and tenants that disputes are resolved early to the satisfaction of both and that tenants are protected. My Department has worked closely with the RTB. I note Sinn Féin's call for all local authority social housing to also come under the RTB and the reference to the police policing itself. The police in local authorities are the councillors. Their job is not simply to call for things. In fairness, most councillors know that and hold their officials to account.”
“There is Exchequer funding of up to €22.8 million, a 70% increase in a single year. I am somewhat bemused by the proposal which seems to ignore the substantial and extraordinary increase in funding for the RTB. It needs this funding and I am adamant about ensuring that the RTB is properly resourced to secure tenants' rights. The RTB currently prepares necessary reports, and this will continue with the benefit of past enhanced data under the Bill. With regard to amendment No. 4, we know introducing more effective and stronger tendency protection measures will need more and better enforcement.”
“My Department and the RTB will continue to keep the operation of the residential rental sector and the RTB, as well as amendments in the Bill, under constant review, with a view to making any necessary legal changes in a timely manner. Of course, all legislation is kept under review when passed. It is kept under review by the Department, Government, Dáil and Seanad. Nothing is kept more under review in this country than housing. It is kept under review by various housing bodies, agencies, the private sector and Opposition parties. The work of the Housing Agency and Housing Commission over recent years and their recommendations have very much helped to inform this policy. The RTB is resourced to implement and enforce new laws. The necessary resources are being provided.”
“We are creating the conditions to bring that supply forward, in the private rental sector and social and affordable housing sectors. Stronger protections are provided for tenants in new tenancies created on or after 1 March 2026, including tenancies of a minimum six years' duration. This will be the first time in the history of the State that we have security of tenure. That is what the Opposition is voting against. The removal of the option of no fault evictions for larger landlords is an extraordinary step being taken by the State. It is common in other countries. Again, this is what the Opposition is voting against. Security of tenure will, without a doubt, greatly strengthen tenants' rights.”
“After a very significant drop-off in apartment delivery in 2024, the CSO figures show a 38.7% increase in apartments in 2025 compared to 2024, with more than 12,000 apartments completed. This is the highest completion figure for apartments since the CSO began collating data in 2011. The Government's announcement in June is already playing its part in reversing the fall-off in apartment delivery. We need to pass this Bill, implement the changes from March and get supply to where it needs to be. The reality is that supply needs to match demand. Sooner rather than later, we can make rents more affordable as we grow supply. The national rent control will play its part, along with many other measures the Government is taking under its new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities.”
“I am speaking to amendments Nos. 4 to 6, inclusive, and 8, which are grouped. I cannot accept the amendments. On 10 June 2025, the Government announced policy measures to come into operation from March, immediately following the expiration of the rent pressure zones. As I said, the Government wants to provide certainty, clarity and stability for the rental sector and these measures have been informed by extensive and comprehensive work by the Housing Agency. The Bill aims to boost investment and the supply of homes available for rent and significantly strengthen tenancy protections. Delivering on these policy measures is an absolute must since they were announced last June. We have already seen progress. I wish to highlight the encouraging apartment deliveries statistics.”
“We will continue to act where measures need to be strengthened and we will continue to drive delivery, because the only sustainable answer to the challenges we face is more homes. That is what the new housing plan will deliver.”
“Progress is being made. Completions are rising. Social and affordable output is at record levels. Planning reforms are accelerating. Infrastructure investment is being aligned with housing growth. However, we are honest about the scale of the task. There is no single measure. There is no simple ban that will solve the challenges we face. The Government's approach is clear: increase supply at scale, protect and prioritise home ownership, deliver record levels of social and affordable housing, prevent the inappropriate bulk purchasing of family homes, strengthen tenant protections; and mobilise both public and private investment to build the homes our growing population requires. Delivering Homes, Building Communities is a funded, actionable plan. It recognises that solving the housing crisis demands persistence, partnership and pragmatism.”
“The help to buy scheme and the first home scheme continue to bridge the gap for first-time buyers struggling with deposits and mortgage limits. These schemes are not abstract policy instruments; they are enabling thousands of households to purchase their first home. The rental market must also function effectively. We are introducing national rent controls and reforming the rent pressure zone system to balance tenant protection with the need to maintain investment in new rental supply. We are strengthening tenant protections in legislation, enhancing the powers of the Residential Tenancies Board, publishing a rent price register and increasing regulation of the short-term letting sector. A stable and predictable rental framework is essential. Without it, supply will contract further and renters will suffer the consequences.”
“For older people, disabled people and those with access needs, we are implementing the national housing strategy for disabled people and increasing funding under the housing adaptation grant. For our Traveller community, we are continuing investment in high-quality Traveller-specific accommodation. An inclusive housing system must meet the needs of every member of society. I know this is fundamental to cohesiveness throughout Ireland. Over the lifetime of the action plan, we will deliver an average of 12,000 new social homes each year. That is an unprecedented commitment. In parallel, we will provide an average of 15,000 affordable housing supports annually through the starter homes programme and related initiatives.”
“At the same time, we are expanding construction capacity through apprenticeships and modern methods of construction, and bringing vacant and derelict homes back into use through grants and a new derelict property tax. The second pillar, supporting people, recognises that supply alone is not enough. We must ensure that those most impacted by the housing crisis are supported directly and effectively. Homelessness remains the most urgent social challenge we face. It is at levels that I find unacceptable. Any level of homelessness is unacceptable. We are developing a focused child and family homelessness action plan to prevent families from entering homelessness in the first place. That is why we are expanding Housing First to provide more than 2,000 wraparound tenancies.”
“Let me be very clear that these figures are not a ceiling. If we can exceed them, we will, because increasing supply is the single most important lever we have to moderate prices, improve affordability, reduce homelessness and increase homeownership for families and ordinary working people. The plan rests on two core pillars: activating supply and supporting people. The first pillar, activating supply, is about removing the structural barriers that constrain housing output. It is about unlocking land, reforming and accelerating planning, investing in water, energy and transport infrastructure, and addressing viability challenges so that homes can be built where they are needed.”
“It is imperative that private capital is attracted into home building across the country, and this includes from international sources. The attraction of sustainable capital will support our aims to provide more homes and ensure a well-functioning private market, in tandem with driving forward on our social and affordable programmes. Our new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities, is building on the strongest period of housing delivery in a generation. Over the past five years almost 149,000 new homes have been delivered. This represents a step change in output on previous years. The new plan is ambitious. It commits to delivering 300,000 new homes over its lifetime, including 72,000 new social homes and 90,000 affordable housing supports to help people to buy or rent at a cost they can sustain.”
“These trends, borne out by independent national statistics, demonstrate that the policy interventions introduced by the Government are having the intended effect. We have also committed in our programme for Government to maintaining the owner-occupier guarantee. This commitment stands. We set out a clear policy view in our new national housing action plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities, when it was launched last November. We acknowledged that even with the largest housing budget in the history of the State providing unprecedented levels of investment in housing, the Government cannot fund all of the approximately €20 billion per annum of development finance needed. The majority of the additional finance needed will be sourced from private sources.”
“The combined effect of these policies is now clearly visible in the data. Revenue's provisional figures show that 675 properties were subject to the higher stamp duty rate in 2023, falling to 396 in 2024 and further to 293 in 2025, with the total value of such acquisitions declining sharply over the same period, from €266.1 million in 2023 to approximately €88.3 million in 2025. In other words, since these strengthened measures took effect, the number of homes being bulk acquired has fallen year on year, and this is welcome. Crucially, Central Statistics Office data shows that institutional investors have become net sellers of houses, selling more homes than they purchased in 2024.”
“These guidelines ensure that new own-door houses and what are called duplex units in lower-density developments cannot be bulk purchased in a way that displaces individual buyers or social and affordable housing. This is essential. Since May 2021, planning permissions covering 63,962 houses and duplex units have included conditions restricting bulk purchasing or multiple sales to a single purchaser. In addition, we introduced a higher rate of stamp duty where ten or more houses are acquired within a 12-month period. This rate was increased to 15% in budget 2025. These measures have materially changed market behaviour and have secured thousands of homes for individual purchasers rather than institutional investors. It is important, in the context of this debate, to focus on the evidence.”
“As Minister, I want to ensure people have a safe and secure home to grow up in and to grow old in. In this vein it is simply not credible to suggest that the Government has stood idly by. We are not indifferent to the impact of bulk purchasing. The facts demonstrate that sustained, practical and effective action has been taken. The Government's approach is to significantly restrict bulk purchasing. In effect, as we will outline today, we are disincentivising bulk purchasing in favour of individual private homeownership. In 2021, the section 28 planning guidelines were introduced to regulate commercial institutional investment in housing.”
“I spoke to advocacy organisation Threshold just yesterday evening about its latest rental survey covering the island of Ireland, which reflects these concerns and fears among people in the Republic and in the North. It is in housing where the Government is mobilising the most significant resources in the history of the State. We recognise the frustration that exists with housing as it is now for people and for their families. We recognise the strain being caused by rising prices and rents. We recognise the anxiety of those who have not purchased a home yet as they save and save for a mortgage, and who fear that owning a home may be some way away. The dignity of having your own door, be it through social housing, affordable housing supports from the Government, cost rental or private purchase, is essential.”
“I thank the Sinn Féin Deputies for tabling the motion before the House, which relates to investment funds purchasing family homes. I welcome the opportunity to respond to the motion. While the Government cannot support the motion, I welcome the opportunity to set out the Government's clear and robust position on the issues the motion raises and to table a countermotion. Housing, in both supply and affordability, is a defining social and economic challenge of this country, although certainly not of Ireland alone. Tackling the housing crisis is my absolute priority as Minister, and there should be no doubt about that in the House. Housing is the single greatest pressure facing families and working people who aspire to a secure home of their own.”
“I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: acknowledges that: — the new housing plan 'Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030: An Action Plan on Housing Supply and Targeting Homelessness', is focussed on putting in place the conditions to enable delivery of a minimum of 300,000 new homes between 2025 and 2030; — the plan includes a commitment to deliver 72,000 social homes, and provide 90,000 affordable supports, to help people secure a home of their own; — it seeks to significantly accelerate delivery of new homes by focusing on activating land and creating the optimal environment to encourage housing activity, including regulatory reform, tax incentives and the largest ever capital investment in the history of the State, with €275 billion invested in infrastructure over 10 years, through the National Development Plan; — to accelerate future supply, Budget 2026 included a suite of taxation measures aimed at stimulating the supply of new apartments, including a reduced Value Added Tax (VAT) rate and an enhanced Corporation Tax deduction for apartment construction costs; — the revised National Planning Framework, published in April 2025, is a major step forward in this regard, and will help increase capacity and accelerate home building across the country; — over the last five years, almost 149,000 new homes have been delivered, which compares with 83,267 in the previous five-year period, and just 29,217 in the five years before that; — a total of 36,284 new dwellings were completed in 2025, an increase of 20 per cent year-on-year; — the unprecedented level of investment that Government has committed will bring about a very significant scale-up in the delivery of housing over the coming years, address the needs of the most vulnerable in our communities, make buying and renting homes more affordable, and support the development of villages, towns and cities across the country; and — the delivery of 300,000 homes by 2030 will, however, require an estimated €20 billion in development finance each year, a significant portion of which will need to come from investment by the private sector, to support home ownership and a well-functioning private rental market; recognises that: — Government has implemented several measures in recent years, including an 'owner occupier guarantee' and stamp duty measures, to ensure a balanced housing market across all tenures, including home ownership, social housing and private rental; — the issuing in 2021, of the Section 28 Guidelines for planning authorities on the Regulation of Commercial Institutional Investment in Housing, aims to restrict the practice of multiple housing and duplex units being sold to a single buyer, and these guidelines ensure that new 'own-door' houses and duplex units in lower-density housing developments can no longer be bulk-purchased by institutional investors in a manner that causes the displacement of individual purchasers or social and affordable housing, including cost-rental; — these guidelines, setting out the 'owner-occupier' guarantee, also ensure that 'home ownership' is included as a specific tenure type within a local authority's housing strategy; — in May 2021, as an additional measure to tackle the bulk acquisition of new houses, a Stamp Duty rate of 10 per cent was introduced, where 10 or more houses were acquired in any 12 month period, and in 2025, this rate was increased to 15 per cent; — these measures have succeeded in preventing the inappropriate bulk purchase of a very significant number of homes, and securing those homes for purchase by homeowners; — as of Q4 2025, since May 2021, a total estimate of 63,962 houses and duplex units received planning permission, with conditions restricting the bulk purchasing or multiple sales to a single purchaser; — based on provisional data from the Revenue Commissioners, bulk purchased homes are reducing year-on-year since 2023, and in 2025, 293 homes were bulk purchased, down from 675 in 2023; — the Programme for Government commits to maintaining the 'owner occupier guarantee', thereby continuing to prohibit the inappropriate bulk purchase of homes, and securing homes for homeownership; — the measures outlined are having the desired effect regarding family homes, and the Government has rightly not applied those to apartments, as it recognises the positive role institutional investment needs to play in developing apartment supply as set out in the Delivering Homes, Building Communities housing plan; and — Budget 2026 included a suite of taxation measures aimed at stimulating the supply of new apartments, including a reduced VAT rate on new apartments, and an enhanced Corporation Tax deduction for apartment construction costs; and affirms Government efforts to: — continue to bring forward measures that will increase the supply of new homes across all tenures, to make sure that everyone has a range of housing options available to them, whether they want to buy a house, rent one, or are in need of social housing; — adequately resource the Land Development Agency (LDA), to deliver an increased quantum of new homes, noting Government already recently increased resourcing to the agency; — diversify sources of investment, noting the level of investment required in the long term cannot be solely the responsibility of the State, and it will also require a very significant level of private investment, including appropriate institutional capital investment, essential for the delivery of critically needed private rented stock; — prioritise infrastructure development as critical means for increasing housing supply, noting the establishment of the Housing Activation Office and the new Infrastructure Investment Fund, to coordinate homebuilding and investment in the servicing of zoned lands; — expand the capacity of the construction sector as another key measure to scale-up delivery to the levels necessary by 2030, and thereafter building on ongoing measures to tackle barriers in construction careers, promote career opportunities, and make construction more attractive to women; — build on the significant number of social and affordable homes provided in 2025, expanding State investment, supplemented by LDA investment and Housing Finance Agency lending; — ensure that Home Building Finance Ireland has the capacity and flexibility to continue to respond to funding gaps, and support increased housing delivery nationwide; — improve equity availability for homebuilding through the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund's new €600 million equity programme, in partnership with the national banks; — boost homeownership, and help support younger people seeking autonomy in the housing market, through measures like the First Home Scheme, Help-to-Buy Scheme, and the Local Authority Home Loan Scheme; and — tackle homelessness through a suite of cross-Government responses, acknowledging that homelessness is a complex issue, requiring multifaceted responses to deal with varying causal factors and family circumstances.”
“Part 3 provides for amendments to the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 to provide that a dwelling that is or was required to be registered under the residential tenancies Acts since 4 March 2022 is not eligible for the accommodation recognition payment, ARP. In addition only owners of dwellings may apply for the ARP. Part 4 provides for technical amendments to maintain the pre-existing planning provisions for short-term letting following the repeal of the RPZ provisions. This Bill will provide significantly stronger tenancy protections and is finely balanced between the interests of tenants and the need for further private investment in the rental market. I am acting because we are in a housing crisis. I am acting because this Bill is needed to provide certainty and clarity but also to boost the supply we need.”
“This is a massive and important change in the rental landscape that will provide significantly more transparency, which we know is needed and has been called for. Section 19 requires the following particulars in an application to register a tenancy with the RTB: the number of bed spaces; the floor area; and, where applicable, the BER. Sections 20 to 22, inclusive, provide for data sharing between the RTB and the Minister for Social Protection, the Revenue Commissioners and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI. Section 24 provides a contravention of section 22(2) of the principal Act relating to rent review requirement as improper conduct by a landlord that may be investigated and sanctioned by the RTB.”
“Resetting to market rent is only allowed following a termination by a tenant, or by a landlord grounded on the breach of tenant obligations, or where the dwelling no longer suits the accommodation needs of the tenant household. Technical amendments are also made. Sections 16 to 18, inclusive, update the requirements for the RTB’s residential tenancies register and requires the board to confirm for a tenant whether their landlord was a smaller landlord on the date of service of a notice of termination. The published register will be required to include: the rent; the tenancy registration number; the tenancy commencement date; the number of bed spaces; the local electoral area; the floor area; and, where applicable, the BER in addition to the number of bedrooms and the dwelling type of individual rented dwellings.”
“At the end of a six-year TMD, a smaller landlord may terminate a tenancy on any of the limited grounds for termination under the principal Act, subject to making any necessary statutory declaration and statement. A larger landlord will no longer be able to use the grounds for termination under paragraphs 3, 4, 5 or 6 of the table to section 34 of the principal Act but will continue to be able to gain vacant possession where the tenant voluntarily leaves, breaches their obligations or the dwelling is no longer suitable for the accommodation needs of the tenant household. Section 15 requires a landlord, when terminating a non-Part 4 tenancy, to state the reason for its termination.”
“During a six-year tenancy of minimum duration, a smaller landlord will be permitted to terminate a tenancy in the following circumstances: the dwelling is needed for occupation by the landlord or a family member; to avoid undue financial or other hardship; the sales proceeds are required by the landlord to provide a principal private residence for the landlord or for the spouse or civil partner of the landlord; the landlord, or spouse-civil partner of the landlord, is legally required to discharge a debt, or make a payment, of more than 15% of the asking price - expected consideration - within nine months of the termination date, including a payment to the Revenue Commissioners, for example, to discharge a debt under the fair deal scheme or to pay a tax liability; or where a personal insolvency practitioner has been appointed to the landlord, or spouse-civil partner of the landlord, or at least one of those parties is bankrupt, or subject to proceedings for a declaration of bankruptcy or is an arranging debtor, or has made a composition or arrangement with creditors.”
“A declaration and statement will also be required to be made by a smaller landlord that the notice period in the related notice of termination, served during the TMD, expires on a specified termination date that falls on or after the expiry of the six-year TMD. Section 14 restricts the termination of certain tenancies by certain landlords.”
“Where a smaller landlord wishes to terminate a TMD during its six-year term on the ground that the landlord intends to sell the dwelling, the landlord must make a statutory declaration that, on the date the notice of termination is served, he or she is a smaller landlord and the sales proceeds are required to avoid undue financial or other hardship. Where the smaller landlord wishes to terminate a TMD on ground five, substantial refurbishment or renovation, or ground six, change of use, at the end of a six-year TMD, a statutory declaration will also be required to be made by a smaller landlord that, on the date the notice of termination is served, he or she is a smaller landlord.”
“Section 13 provides that where a smaller landlord wishes to end a tenancy of minimum duration during its six-year term on the ground that the dwelling is needed for occupation by a family member, the termination can only be grounded in respect of the intended occupation by the landlord’s spouse, civil partner, child, adoptive child, stepchild, foster-child, parent, step-parent or parent-in-law. This is a tightening of the position in this respect. The smaller landlord must make a statutory declaration that he or she is a smaller landlord. This will be known. There will be no ambiguity about what status a landlord has, which is critical so people know their rights and responsibilities.”
“Section 12 requires a smaller landlord - a landlord that is not a company and is a landlord under not more than three tenancies of dwellings - when terminating a new tenancy created on or after 1 March 2026, that is, a tenancy of minimum duration, TMD, during or after its six-year term, to make certain statutory declarations. A technical amendment allows engineers to certify, for the purposes of grounding a tenancy termination on substantial refurbishment or renovation, that vacant possession is required for at least three weeks for the health and safety of the tenant.”
“Landlords must, in setting the rent, have regard to the newly published register by the board and the most recent comparable rents for similar dwellings with regard to floor area, dwelling type, number of bedrooms and bed spaces and the building energy rating, BER. Contravention by a landlord of the amended section 22(2) will be an offence and improper conduct and the RTB may prosecute or sanction. I want to be very clear about this and the seriousness with which any breaches by landlords will be dealt with. Section 11 updates the definition of "market rent" by requiring, in setting a rent for a dwelling, regard to be given to the rent information contained in the published register.”
“From 1 March 2026, a new exemption from the annual rent increase restriction is provided for the first rent setting for a new tenancy in an existing rented dwelling after a tenant ends their tenancy, a tenant breach of the tenant obligations or where the accommodation is no longer suitable to the accommodation needs of the tenant household. In addition, in respect of a new tenancy, after six years, or three years in respect of student-specific accommodation, during which the rent increase restriction applied to that tenancy, a landlord may reset the rent to market rent. Market rent is something that will be monitored closely and robustly by the RTB. Section 10 requires a landlord, when notifying their tenant of a new rent, to copy the RTB.”
“Section 5 clarifies that notices and other documents may be served or given by electronic means under the principal Act. Section 6 requires a landlord to serve a notice on a tenant, and copy the Residential Tenancies Board, RTB, explaining how the rent was set upon the commencement of a new tenancy. Section 7 obliges a tenant to allow viewings of a dwelling where the landlord intends to sell. Section 8 provides for a new national rent control in respect of new tenancies, that is, first-time tenancies between parties, created on or after 1 March 2026. Provision is made for an annual rent increase restriction, that is, in line with the consumer price index, or, if lower, 2% per annum pro rata , for both new and existing tenancies. However, a restriction linked to the CPI only will apply for new apartments and student-specific accommodation.”
“It recognises the power imbalance between renters and their landlords and seeks to adjust it to make things as fair as possible and, crucially, to provide certainty for tenants. The fear our tenants and renters nationwide have of notice to quit, particularly on a no-fault basis, had to be tackled. I was determined to make an intervention, as Minister, to do this. That has not made the decisions in this Bill easy but I am determined to change how our rental market provides for people. The Bill contains 31 sections. Sections 1, 3, 4 and 25 contain standard provisions dealing with the definitions, Short Title, commencement, collective citations and construction of the Bill. Sections 2, 9 and 23 provide for the repeal of the RPZ provisions and make consequential, technical amendments.”
“The potential policy options were presented to Government by the agency, along with the preferred recommendation to modify the existing operation of the current rent controls. There was no possibility of leaving things as they were, leaving us only with a choked rental market with no new homes on the horizon, despite significant shifts in our population and a huge number of people at home without the option to rent due to a lack of supply, as well as the issue of affordability. This Bill is finely balanced because it has to be. It balances the rights and protection of tenants with the need for further private investment in the rental market, taking account of stakeholder engagement.”
“The Bill will amend the current system of rent control significantly and provide new measures to protect tenants. It will come into effect for new tenancies created on or after 1 March 2026. At the heart of this Bill is the fact we want to provide certainty, clarity and stability for the rental sector and drive new supply of homes to rent. The Bill's new national rent control, which is an unprecedented action, will come into effect on 1 March 2026 immediately following the expiry of rent pressure zones, RPZs. The Bill has been informed by the findings of the Housing Agency review of rent pressure zones, which clearly indicated that the RPZ rules we had in place, and were extending year on year but in a temporary fashion each time, were restricting supply.”
“We know if we do not bring in changes, rents are only going in one direction and that is up. As important is the fact that if we do not bring in change, we are not going to get the supply for those people who are living at home and need somewhere to rent, or as the population increases. Our population has increased by about 810,000 people since 2014. That requires an average of about 250,000 new homes, which is about what has been delivered. We need to deliver more to solve the housing, rental and homelessness crises and that is at least what we are doing, so people have somewhere to be safe and secure in their own homes.”
“If the tenant breaches a contract, yes. In relation to the 240,000 tenancies and there being no change, I have said that multiple times, just as I have said multiple times that one child homeless is one child too many. Everything I am doing is about driving up the delivery of homes. The entire rental and housing market is always going to be dynamic, so I am not going to indulge the fantasy, as the Deputy refers to, of giving a date and a time for when rents are going to change.”
“I will address a couple of the issues that have been raised. If a tenant involuntarily leaves, the rent cannot be reset under these rules. That is very important. You will always have tenants who will voluntarily leave. The number of HAPs in this country has reduced by about 9,000, give or take. That is as a result of the significant increase in social and affordable housing we have been delivering. People will always leave tenancies voluntarily. If they do that, a rent can be reset if the landlord was going back out to the market but if a tenant is in any shape or form involuntarily put out of the property, there cannot be a reset.”
“We have to drive the delivery and supply of homes. We know that if we do not do this, we will not get the supply that we need. We have had endless modelling over the years. It is always based on a no-change basis. This is going to bring the change that we need to deliver the supply of homes.”