Local Sinn Féin TD Joanna Byrne has criticised the Government’s new Residential Tenancies Bill, warning that it will lead to significant rent increases across Louth.
Byrne has described the proposed legislation as a rip off rent hike bill, claiming it will worsen conditions for renters and place further pressure on housing services in the county.
Speaking in the Dáil Éireann, Deputy Byrne said the bill represents another Government intervention in the rental market that will drive rents higher and reduce protections for tenants.
This Bill is the latest Government intervention in the rental market, and it will make things worse for renters and allow rents to rise.
Ultimately, there will be people who are no longer able to afford their rental accommodation, and they will end up in the Louth County Council housing office trying to source emergency accommodation.
This is at a time when we are at a record level of homelessness, with almost 17,000 people homeless, including 5,000 children. People had a little bit of protection in rent pressure zones but with this Bill, the Government is taking that protection away.
Nobody wants this Bill, except for the big institutional investors to increase their profits. The Government’s entire housing and rental policy seems to be in service to those big businesses, not the men, women and children who need affordable rental accommodation in Louth and throughout this State.
Towards the end of last year, in Louth, market rents were on average 6.4% higher in 2025 than in the previous year. The average listed rent is now €1,907 a month, up 52% from the time of the Covid pandemic, but that is averaged across the county.
It is much higher in Drogheda and in the south of Louth, as people here bought homes in the ever-expanding commuter belt.
Only last week, a modest three-bedroom terraced home was advertised locally for an eye-watering €3,250 per month.
The government’s Bill will continue to drive those rents up for an average apartment or house in the wee county. We can be sure the rise in rent will not be so wee. This is nothing more than a rip-off rent hike bill that the Government needs to bin now.
Deputy Byrne said the proposed legislation will increase the risk of homelessness and place additional strain on local authorities, including Louth County Council, as more households struggle to afford rising rents.
