Protection from unreasonable rent increases for tenants in Maynooth – Durkan

Fine Gael Kildare North TD, Bernard Durkan, has welcomed the designation of Maynooth as a Rent Pressure Zone under the Government’s rental strategy, saying this will protect tenants from unreasonable rent increases.

“The designation of Maynooth as a Rent Pressure Zone by my colleague the Minister for Housing Simon Coveney, is really welcome news for tenants here in Maynooth. This will help protect tenants from unreasonable rent increases, as it has done in Dublin and Cork where the scheme began,and in other areas of Kildare, added to the scheme earlier this year.

“At the initial announcement of the Government’s Rental Strategy, Dublin and Cork were initially designated Rent Pressure Zones as these areas were experiencing continuous unsustainable rental increases for 4 of the previous 6 months, and the rents there were above the national average. Minister Coveney gave a commitment to look at other areas of the country at the time.

“This was done on the basis of data gathering and consultation with Local Authorities. The Housing Agency was instructed to examine the parts of the country that met the qualifying criteria and then Naas, Sallins, Celbridge, Leixlip, Rathangan, Kildare, Newbridge were added in January. Now Maynooth has been designated a Rent Pressure Zone on this basis also.

“Fine Gael in Government is determined to ease the pressure on the rental market, and this strategy balances the needs of landlords and tenants in doing so. Over the medium term the Government is increasing the supply of housing to ease pressure on the rental market. Yesterday for example we announced just over €21 million in funding to deliver the infrastructure that will support the building of 1850 new homes in Naas, Maynooth and Sallins.

“However this short term measure to make Maynooth one of the new Rent Pressure Zones, will prevent hugely inflated rent increases and will really protect tenants here in Maynooth.”