Brian Stanley Warns Rent Bill Is a 'Charter for Misery'

I want to support amendments 2, 7 and 8 in relation to reviews and reports the reality is though, is that ministers and the two of you know what's going to happen here because we can see it already we can see it from the minute that you announced this back in number of back into the autumn of last year you can see what's happening notices to quit are increasing, rents are increasing and pressure on tenants to move out are increasing because landlords know and I'm not nailing all of them putting all of them into one box but a lot of landlords, particularly the bigger ones know that come the 1st of March the sky is the limit and this evening you're planning to ram through this legislation and I'd ask the two of you that we're TDs but we're human beings as well I'd ask you to think about this just think about the people who are in private rented accommodation and I know some of them and you'll know them, who are paying 50% 55% of their wages and total income on rent that means there's not enough money for food not enough money for clothes not enough money to heat the place not enough money for our kids and a whole range of other things and that's just the basics to get through life just think about them for a minute I'd ask you to do that and there's three least TDs we'll have a vote on this one Fianna Fáil one Fianna Gael independent yours truly right and I wish all three of us were voting together on it I dearly wish that and you know while the six year tenancy thing the certain tier own tenancy that is a good thing I get that right but the problem is is what you're bringing in on the back of it it's a Trojan horse you know it's going to have huge implications my amendment and I hope we get to it is around trying to limit it to 2% or the rate of inflation CPI so who is the rate of inflation not good enough for who is 2% not good enough for who is lobbying for this is the Irish Property Owners Association getting everything they want everything right it's the developers getting everything because they've got everything they want they've got the VAT cuts they've got the tax breaks they've got everything else that they wanted you know and I want to see more housing but the point is here is that what you're doing is a charter for misery and further misery and you know it I know it because I meet these people you know ordinary working people couples loan parents ordinary workers trying to get by and pensioners and this is one coming down the line that people sitting here in 10 years time are going to have to deal with a tsunami of pensioners who are in private rented accommodation and the state will wind up supplementing that if we don't do better in terms of cost rental and if we don't do something about trying to slow down rents the RPZs weren't perfect the RPZs had some cooling effects but despite the far RPZs rents in leash according to DAF.ie and other surveys show that rents on new tenancies over the last two years have increased their 15 to 16% over existing tenancies that's what they are over it 15 to 16% if that's happening at a time when we have RPZs what in the name of the Lord God Almighty is going to happen when you remove all of this and you can say the market rent the market rent is the highest in an area it is the highest in the district you know how it's going to work and this talk about there won't be no-fault evictions there's going to be evictions there's going to be notices to quit for the simple reason is that and I've pointed this out numerous times is that the rents will be so high that people will not be able to afford it and those landlords who are inclined to have a rack renting attitude you know they are now they are now facing into the 1st of March with this gift in their hand and that will be used and make no mistake about it not saying every landlord but the rack renting ones will and the bigger ones will tenants going into new apartments and housing and housing will face extortion increases and also the tenancies don't last six years we know there can be a quick turnover in the case of and I know you have a three year provision in relation to students but I have a granddaughter going to college she commutes five hours a day she can't she wouldn't have hoped of being held to stay near the college she can't you know or her pals they can't the simple reason is is that rents are already that high what's going to happen when this when this comes through in terms of in the private sector and I would say to you lease renters will be very very hard hard hit because when I see the increases already where you have rent pressure zones and some cooling effects the fact that new tenancies already are 15 16 and almost 17% higher over the last two years a one bedroom apartment across the road from my apartment from my office was on the market for £1,750 a month a very small house in Kinaminchi was £2,100 a month and Foxborough a four bedroom house not a huge house was £2,500 a month can't afford it you know look at the average wages they can't pay some of these people are paying for creches they're paying for commuting they have to make payments on two cars they're trying to save for deposits they're trying to do a whole range of things and they're literally strapped nailed in trying to carry out all of this and the race will be and for those landlords who are unscrupulous the race will be to get to the top you know and I support the idea of the forecast the reviews and the reports but that in itself will not be enough that's why I put in the amendment to limit it to try and cool it to 2% I recognise there's inflation I'm trying to be somewhat reasonable about this but this will be all all impediments to skyrocket rents will be removed and existing tenants in homes and apartments are being put under huge pressure and will be put under pressure for higher rents because this measure this measure will provide the climate for that to happen and there will be strategic notices to quit as I said because people will not be able to afford it and I would appeal I would appeal who are not here unfortunately Fianna Fáil and Fianna Gael TDs not to vote this through this will hurt tens of thousands of tenants who are already struggling to keep their head above water and who already are dealing with difficulties and we must and I know I've never come in here and said there's a magic wand I know this is a complex thing to sort but I do know as well there's a number of things that need to happen and within the gift of the state one of the things is to be able to increase the supply of cost rental housing for those people who are middle aged who can never be able to get a loan again who maybe have come out of a broken marriage or whatever else they need to be able to get into cost rental we need to try and help those people a not for profit option that will pay for itself over time you know how it works I remember talking about here 12-13 years ago when people didn't even know what we were talking about the need for cost rental I welcome the fact that government are moving on that but we need to move quicker on it we need more of them and I'm saying that to you the mass production of houses is a drum that had banged loud in this chamber and I welcome the fact I said it to John Cummins yesterday morning for the first time it has arrived with council engineers and architects that we can be able to mass produce mass production means speeding up it means also reducing costs and while there's been a lot of talk from the officials in the department about standardised design etc you know the fact that now that it's gone that's a step further that it's that you have standard very real standard plans in other words that houses internally can be the very same and you can change the texture outside if you like if a county council wants to do that but that will enable matters to be speeded up a bit and will remove a lot of the blockages and Anthony Nelson I'm saying this to you sincerely the two of you with the two ministers here that anything else you can do to accelerate that you know we don't want to drop standards I'm not arguing for that but anything we can do to accelerate the delivery anything we can do to reduce the cost because there's money there you know and we know it's taxpayers money and we've used it well anything we can do to reduce that cost I certainly will support that and increase the supply and I do recognise not all of it will be provided by the state I know that I'm not going to argue for that right I know that but the state is a big player here and because of the fact that the progressive democrats and Fianna Fáil you know since the late 90s decided that you know we'll just opt out with the social housing stuff that's why we have the mess we have that's why we had the crash because of the regulations were taken off and we had the regulations off buildings off construction regulations off the banks and we wound up in the situation that we're in and it's a difficult situation I argued as well over the years here going back over the last 15 years to increase the number of apprentices and we must do that we must do that because we can't build houses unless we have the people and let's try and attract more of the workers back from abroad who went who went during that period and who might wish to come back now we do need to increase the labour supply and ensure that we have sufficient workers to do it I'd like to say as well that people want to save for a deposit but they can't you can't save for a deposit paying those rents these rents are not affordable they're not affordable at the moment and I would say that to you you know they're not affordable for young people they're not affordable for that cohort that I'm talking about that are middle-aged and elderly you know a couple of reasons that I came across there were almost 80 the local authority housed them Leish County Council and I just I don't mean this in a plomb-awson way but they have really really stretched themselves to try and do their best and I know you're down on Friday and I welcome the fact that you're there on Friday and it's always good to see ministers in the constituency and the one message that I've been saying to you is come down see what's been done we want more of it and try and replicate that in other parts of the country so I'd ask you not to force this through the Irish Property Owners Association are having they're getting what they want here the developers are getting what they wanted but tenants are getting they're already suffering hardship and stress and misery workers, students, loan parents ordinary people you know let's think about those and let's not force through this bill here tonight this needs to be rolled back on we cannot heap more pressure and stress on those people