I will now deal with the deferred division relating to the ministerial amendment to the motion regarding evictions and rent hikes. Yesterday, on the question, "That the amendment to the motion be agreed to", a division was claimed and in accordance with Standing Order 85(2), that division must now be taken.
Evictions and Rent Hikes: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members]
The following motion was moved by Deputy Eoin Ó Broin on Tuesday, 19 May 2026:
That Dáil Éireann:
notes with extreme concern that:
— 7,062 eviction notices were issued to tenants from January to March this year, up 51 per cent on the same period in 2025;
— at the end of 2025 new rents were up statewide 5 per cent and 4.4 per cent for existing rents; and
— six counties had double digit rent inflation last year including Limerick (12.6 per cent), Monaghan (12.4 per cent), Westmeath (11.5 per cent), Offaly (10.8 per cent), Cavan (10.6 per cent) and Galway (9.9 per cent);
further notes that:
— Statewide new rents were €1,744 per month and existing rents were €1,503 per month at the end of 2025;
— new rents in Dublin were €2,232 per month and existing rents were €1,931 per month at the end of last year;
— the Residential Tenancies Board's dispute caseload increased by 17.6 per cent in the first quarter of this year compared to the same time last year;
— all of this was prior to the Governments new rent regulations which came into effect which will see rents, evictions and disputes increase over the coming year;
— these trends are the direct result of Government policy and will lead to increased displacement of tenants, increased rents and increased homelessness; and
— Government continues to miss their social and affordable housing targets, targets that were too low to begin with, too few private for purchase homes are being built or coming to the market;
resolves that:
— Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael's housing policy continues to make the housing crisis worse and in particular is failing renters;
calls on Government to:
— introduce an emergency ban on rent increases and no-fault evictions;
— cut private rents by putting a full month's rent back into every private renter's pockets;
— oppose rent increases for Council tenants, those in receipt of Housing Assistance Payment and Rental Accommodation Scheme and cost rental tenants; and
— introduce a radical reset of housing policy as set out by the Housing Commission and to increase and accelerate the delivery of social, affordable and private for purchase homes.
Debate resumed on amendment No. 1:
To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:
"notes that:
— the Government is fully committed to tackling high rents and ensuring an increase in the supply of affordable high-quality rental accommodation through continued significant capital investment including cost rental and other means and in a manner that respects the security of tenure for renters by ensuring equity and fairness for landlords and tenants;
— comprehensive reviews of the private rental market and of the Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) rent control system were undertaken in 2024 and 2025, which assessed the rental market generally, the operation of RPZs since their introduction, their impact on the market and relevant stakeholders, the retention of landlords and attracting new investment;
— the review of RPZs by the Housing Agency involved comprehensive engagement with a wide range of stakeholders, including investors, representatives of landlord and tenant advocacy groups, academics and the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB);
— the Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026 came into effect on 1st of March, 2026, introducing a new national rent control for all tenancies, which limits rent increases to inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) up to a maximum of 2 per cent, for new build apartments and student-specific accommodation, however, rent increases are capped at the level of inflation CPI only, these changes were introduced to promote greater investment in the rental market and to increase the supply of rental properties, the Act also provides significant improvements in security of tenure for renters;
— while February saw a sharp increase in Notices of Terminations (NoTs), the RTB confirmed that the trend is moderating, with an 18 per cent increase for March compared to March 2025 but a 39 per cent decrease from February 2026;
— to offer greater protection to tenants, rolling six-year tenancies of minimum duration (TMD) apply for new tenancies created for the first time between parties on or after 1st of March, 2026, this means a new tenancy that continues for six months becomes a tenancy of unlimited duration, with rolling six year TMDs, providing real security of tenure for tenants;
— nationally, registered private tenancies rose by 2.44 per cent annually to 246,477 in Q1 2026;
— the number of private landlords rose by 1.3 per cent annually to 105,847, indicating increased participation in the rental market, there is no exodus of landlords from the market, and the rental sector continues to show resilience;
— Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030, recognises that the rental market is an important element of a well-functioning housing system, it contains a suite of measures to support domestic and international investment in the delivery of new rental properties, in particular the supply of new apartments;
— Ireland is facing a shortage of rental homes, especially apartments, recent reforms to the rental market aim to encourage investment and development, which will encourage the building of new rental apartments, help slow down rent increases and moderate rent levels over time;
— Government has significantly increased resources allocated to the RTB to meet the demands of a modern rental sector;
— further Government measures introduced to support renters include the increase in the tax credit for renters under Budget 2025 to a maximum of €1,000 for each renter in a household, Budget 2026 extends the Rent Tax Credit, which was due to expire at the end of 2025, for a further three years, to the end of 2028; and
— the increase in the thresholds for access to Cost Rental homes, which was increased from €53k net to €66k net in Dublin and €59k outside Dublin, in July 2023;
acknowledges that increased supply is key to meeting demand and moderating the pent-up pressures in the private rental sector and welcomes that:
— there has been an unprecedented level of delivery of new-build social homes, with 2025 representing the largest number of new build social homes constructed since the foundation of the State;
— the new housing plan Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030, is focussed on putting in place the conditions to enable delivery of a minimum of 300,000 new homes;
— 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 ten 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 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; 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 considerable progress has been made, including:
— almost 149,000 new homes have been delivered over the past five years, this 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 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, making buying and renting homes more affordable and support the development of villages, town 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; and
agrees that continued implementation of Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030, represents the most appropriate response to deal with the housing challenges which Ireland is now facing.".
- (Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy John Cummins)
Amendment put:
The Dáil divided: Tá, 77; Níl, 61; Staon, 0.
Tá
- Aird, William.
- Ardagh, Catherine.
- Boland, Grace.
- Brabazon, Tom.
- Brennan, Brian.
- Brennan, Shay.
- Browne, James.
- Burke, Colm.
- Butler, Mary.
- Butterly, Paula.
- Byrne, Malcolm.
- Byrne, Thomas.
- Cahill, Michael.
- Callaghan, Catherine.
- Calleary, Dara.
- Carrigy, Micheál.
- Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
- Cleere, Peter 'Chap'.
- Clendennen, John.
- Cooney, Joe.
- Crowe, Cathal.
- Cummins, John.
- Currie, Emer.
- Daly, Martin.
- Dempsey, Aisling.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Dooley, Timmy.
- Feighan, Frankie.
- Fleming, Sean.
- Foley, Norma.
- Gallagher, Pat the Cope.
- Geoghegan, James.
- Grealish, Noel.
- Heneghan, Barry.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Higgins, Emer.
- Keogh, Keira.
- Lahart, John.
- Lawless, James.
- Lowry, Michael.
- Maxwell, David.
- McAuliffe, Paul.
- McCarthy, Noel.
- McConalogue, Charlie.
- McCormack, Tony.
- McEntee, Helen.
- McGrath, Séamus.
- McGreehan, Erin.
- Moran, Kevin Boxer.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Moynihan, Shane.
- Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
- Murphy, Michael.
- Neville, Joe.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Connell, Maeve.
- O'Connor, James.
- O'Donnell, Kieran.
- O'Donovan, Patrick.
- O'Meara, Ryan.
- O'Shea, John Paul.
- O'Sullivan, Christopher.
- O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
- Ó Cearúil, Naoise.
- Ó Fearghaíl, Seán.
- Ó Muirí, Naoise.
- Richmond, Neale.
- Roche, Peter.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Smyth, Niamh.
- Timmins, Edward.
- Toole, Gillian.
- Troy, Robert.
- Ward, Barry.
Níl
- Bennett, Cathy.
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Brady, John.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Byrne, Joanna.
- Clarke, Sorca.
- Collins, Michael.
- Coppinger, Ruth.
- Cronin, Réada.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Cummins, Jen.
- Daly, Pa.
- Devine, Máire.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Fitzmaurice, Michael.
- Gannon, Gary.
- Gibney, Sinéad.
- Gogarty, Paul Nicholas.
- Gould, Thomas.
- Graves, Ann.
- Guirke, Johnny.
- Hayes, Eoin.
- Healy, Seamus.
- Hearne, Rory.
- Kelly, Alan.
- Kenny, Eoghan.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Lawless, Paul.
- Lawlor, George.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McGettigan, Donna.
- McGuinness, Conor D.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Murphy, Paul.
- Mythen, Johnny.
- Nash, Ged.
- Newsome Drennan, Natasha.
- Ní Raghallaigh, Shónagh.
- Nolan, Carol.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Donoghue, Robert.
- O'Flynn, Ken.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Reilly, Louise.
- O'Rourke, Darren.
- Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
- Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- Ó Súilleabháin, Fionntán.
- Quaide, Liam.
- Quinlivan, Maurice.
- Rice, Pádraig.
- Sheehan, Conor.
- Smith, Duncan.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Tóibín, Peadar.
- Wall, Mark.
- Ward, Charles.
- Ward, Mark.
- Whitmore, Jennifer.
Staon
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Mary Butler and Emer Currie; Níl, Deputies Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Denise Mitchell.
Amendment declared carried.
Question put: "That the motion, as amended, be agreed to."
The Dáil divided: Tá, 77; Níl, 61; Staon, 0.
Tá
- Aird, William.
- Ardagh, Catherine.
- Boland, Grace.
- Brabazon, Tom.
- Brennan, Brian.
- Brennan, Shay.
- Browne, James.
- Burke, Colm.
- Butler, Mary.
- Butterly, Paula.
- Byrne, Malcolm.
- Byrne, Thomas.
- Cahill, Michael.
- Callaghan, Catherine.
- Calleary, Dara.
- Carrigy, Micheál.
- Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
- Cleere, Peter 'Chap'.
- Clendennen, John.
- Cooney, Joe.
- Crowe, Cathal.
- Cummins, John.
- Currie, Emer.
- Daly, Martin.
- Dempsey, Aisling.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Dooley, Timmy.
- Feighan, Frankie.
- Fleming, Sean.
- Foley, Norma.
- Gallagher, Pat the Cope.
- Geoghegan, James.
- Grealish, Noel.
- Heneghan, Barry.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Higgins, Emer.
- Keogh, Keira.
- Lahart, John.
- Lawless, James.
- Lowry, Michael.
- Maxwell, David.
- McAuliffe, Paul.
- McCarthy, Noel.
- McConalogue, Charlie.
- McCormack, Tony.
- McEntee, Helen.
- McGrath, Séamus.
- McGreehan, Erin.
- Moran, Kevin Boxer.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Moynihan, Shane.
- Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
- Murphy, Michael.
- Neville, Joe.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Connell, Maeve.
- O'Connor, James.
- O'Donnell, Kieran.
- O'Donovan, Patrick.
- O'Meara, Ryan.
- O'Shea, John Paul.
- O'Sullivan, Christopher.
- O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
- Ó Cearúil, Naoise.
- Ó Fearghaíl, Seán.
- Ó Muirí, Naoise.
- Richmond, Neale.
- Roche, Peter.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Smyth, Niamh.
- Timmins, Edward.
- Toole, Gillian.
- Troy, Robert.
- Ward, Barry.
Níl
- Bennett, Cathy.
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Brady, John.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Byrne, Joanna.
- Clarke, Sorca.
- Collins, Michael.
- Coppinger, Ruth.
- Cronin, Réada.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Cummins, Jen.
- Daly, Pa.
- Devine, Máire.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Fitzmaurice, Michael.
- Gannon, Gary.
- Gibney, Sinéad.
- Gogarty, Paul Nicholas.
- Gould, Thomas.
- Graves, Ann.
- Guirke, Johnny.
- Hayes, Eoin.
- Healy, Seamus.
- Hearne, Rory.
- Kelly, Alan.
- Kenny, Eoghan.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Lawless, Paul.
- Lawlor, George.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McGettigan, Donna.
- McGuinness, Conor D.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Murphy, Paul.
- Mythen, Johnny.
- Nash, Ged.
- Newsome Drennan, Natasha.
- Ní Raghallaigh, Shónagh.
- Nolan, Carol.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Donoghue, Robert.
- O'Flynn, Ken.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Reilly, Louise.
- O'Rourke, Darren.
- Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
- Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- Ó Súilleabháin, Fionntán.
- Quaide, Liam.
- Quinlivan, Maurice.
- Rice, Pádraig.
- Sheehan, Conor.
- Smith, Duncan.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Tóibín, Peadar.
- Wall, Mark.
- Ward, Charles.
- Ward, Mark.
- Whitmore, Jennifer.
Staon
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Mary Butler and Emer Currie; Níl, Deputies Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Denise Mitchell.
Question declared carried.