Leitrim average rents increased by 28% - 'That is the legacy of this Government,' says Deputy Martin Kenny

Deputy Martin Kenny has said that the Government legacy is "rents spiralling out of control while records for the number of men, women and children in homelessness continue to be broken every month".

His comments were made after the latest Residential Tenancies Board report that recorded a 28% increase in rents in Leitrim, followed by a 33% rise in Sligo since Darragh O'Brien became Minister for Housing in 2020. 

Sinn Féin TD Martin Kenny has said Government TDs in Sligo, and Leitrim must back plans to give renters a break before the Dáil enters recess for the summer.

He has urged TDs to support Sinn Féin's Dáil motion, brought forward by the party's housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin this week, which calls on Government to introduce a three-year ban on rent increases, introduce a refundable tax credit to put a month's rent back in every private renter's pocket and deliver an emergency response to stem the rise in homelessness.

Deputy Kenny said: "The longer this Government is in power, the worse things will get. After 12 years of a Fine Gael government, propped up by Fianna Fáil for seven years, people cannot find an affordable place to rent or buy.

"It's time for change. Renters need a break. It is time for a government that is genuinely committed to tackling these issues", he added. 

Deputy Kenny said that the Government must also use emergency planning and procurement powers, combined with new building technologies and vacant homes, to provide an additional stream of public housing to reduce the number of people in emergency accommodation. 

"We are also demanding an emergency response to stem the rise in homelessness, including a temporary reintroduction of the ban on no-fault evictions and an expansion of the tenant-in-situ scheme for social and cost-rental tenants.

"We simply cannot have a situation where the Dáil breaks at the end of this week for two months without the government taking action to give renters a break", said Deputy Kenny".