New rental rules will cause "unmitigated disaster for people in Offaly"

New rental rules coming into effect on March 1 will be an “unmitigated disaster for people in Offaly”, a local councillor has said.

Sinn Féin councillor Aoife Masterson said the new rules, which will change regulations around the duration of tenancies and rent levels for new rental properties, could cause a major surge in rental prices in Offaly.

“The Residential Tenancies Board has already predicted that from March 1, new rents in Offaly will almost double from €1,166 to an absolutely outrageous €2,316,” she said.

Cllr Masterson added that the Government’s “inability to deliver social, affordable or even private housing” will leave people renting for longer, thereby “eliminating any chance they have of saving for a house of their own”.

The new rules will affect tenancies that begin after March 1, and will introduce measures such as six-year contracts, rent increases linked to the Consumer Price Index, and revised conditions outlining when landlords can evict a tenant.

“This Bill is an absolute betrayal of ordinary people just trying to get by, a complete surrender to big, multinational corporations,” Cllr Masterson said.