Tenants react to news of plans for rental reforms (including two-year rent freeze)

This week the government announced a number of reforms for the private rental sector, under ‘A New Deal For Tenants’, but the reaction hasn’t entirely been positive. But before we get into what people are saying about the changes, here’s what the plan means for tenants… The most notable point is that there are plans to introduce a two-year rent freeze. In other words, if your rent was increased in 2015, it won’t be up for review until 2017. When a rent review comes around, which will now be every 24 months, landlords will also have to provide evidence that any increase is in line with the local market rate. They will also have to notify tenants of a rent increase 90 days ahead and inform them of their rights, including how to dispute said increase. For landlords who want to sell their property or terminate a tenancy so that a family member can move in, they have to supply a ‘statutory declaration’ to the tenant. Speaking about the plan, Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government Alan Kelly said: "With one in five families renting in the state and home ownership declining, long-term renting will become an option for more and more people and the regulatory environment has to catch up with this". As yet, there is no legislation in place however Mr Kelly has said that it will be brought in as soon as possible, possibly by next week. He also told tenants to go to the Private Residential Tenancies Boards with any concerns they have. As for how people are reacting to the news, let’s just say it’s not all smiles and giggles. Here are just a few comments from people on Reddit: (Click to enlarge) If you have a story about renting or rent increases, please get in touch with us at editorial@herfamily.ie. Alternatively you can check out the harsh lessons one of the HerFamily team learned while house hunting.