Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 October 2025
231. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has assessed the impact of private landlord exits on overall rental supply and rent levels nationally; if such assessments are published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54478/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra233. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has reviewed the cumulative effect of rent controls, registration costs and regulatory compliance requirements on the viability of small-scale landlords; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54480/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 231 and 233 together.
The Government remains focused on growing the supply of much-needed rental accommodation by keeping existing landlords in the market and attracting new landlords, while ensuring strong and balanced tenancy protections for both tenants and landlords.
The RTB's Profile of the Register shows that registered private tenancies and landlords increased year-on-year since its introduction in Q2 2023, but remained relatively static from Q1 2025.
• 240,798 registered private tenancies, an increase of 3.2% annually and an increase of 0.08% from Q1 2025.
• 104,072 private landlords, an increase of 0.24% annually (down 398 landlords or 0.38% from Q1 2025).
It is worth noting that there were also 14,742 new tenancy registrations confirmed in Q2 2025. This figure serves to highlight the consistent churn within the rental market.
In line with a commitment in Housing for All, a review of the Private Rental Market was undertaken by my Department and published in July 2024, which included significant consultation with stakeholders. One of its recommendations was that a comprehensive examination of the current RPZ system should be undertaken. This report is available here: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-housing-local-government-and-heritage/publications/private-rental-sector-review/.
Following on from this recommendation the Housing Agency was tasked with completing a review of RPZ’s. The aim of this review was to assess the operation of Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) since their introduction and consider their impact on the market and relevant stakeholders, including the retention of landlords and new investment. It was also to consider whether RPZs should continue without change or be removed, modified or replaced.
The review involved engagement with a wide variety of stakeholders, including investors, representatives of landlord and tenant advocacy groups, academics and the RTB. The Housing Agency submitted its report, Review of Rent Pressure Zones and Potential Policy Options, to my Department at the end of April and advised that its preferred recommendation was to modify the current RPZ rent controls. This report is available here: www.housingagency.ie/publications/review-rent-pressure-zones-report.
Taking account of the Housing Agency report and its preferred recommendation, the Government has approved changes to rent regulation, which will be introduced nationally from 1 March 2026. The Government also approved stronger tenancy protections, which would apply to tenancies created from 1 March 2026. As new properties enter the rental market, and there is turnover of existing tenancies, the proportion of tenants who benefit from the protections will gradually increase over time.
Legislation is being prepared and will be published later this year to give effect to these policy measures. Further information is available here: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-housing-local-government-and-heritage/press-releases/government-to-introduce-major-reforms-to-the-rental-sector/.
The RTB Rent Index report, published quarterly, is designed to measure developments in rental prices faced by those taking up new tenancies in the private rental sector and more recently, utilising Annual Registration data, existing tenancy rent price developments. These are available on the RTB data hub at: https://rtb.ie/data-insights/rtb-data-hub/.
My Department continually works with the RTB to keep the operation of the RTB, the Residential Tenancies Acts and the residential rental sector under constant review to ensure that an appropriately balanced policy and legislative framework is maintained.
