James Browne is set to bring new legislation to Cabinet aimed at reshaping Ireland’s rental system. The Residential Tenancies Bill is due to be approved by Government before progressing through the Oireachtas in the coming weeks, with the proposed changes taking effect from 1 March.
Under the Bill, annual rent increases will be capped at 2% for most residential properties. Newly built apartments will be treated differently, with rent reviews linked to movements in the Consumer Price Index. Standard rental agreements will move to a six-year duration, although smaller landlords will retain limited grounds to end a tenancy. These include circumstances where the property is required for a family member or where the landlord can demonstrate financial hardship.
For the purposes of the legislation, smaller landlords are defined as those with three tenancies or fewer. Any property that has not been subdivided will be counted as a single tenancy.
Opposition parties have raised concerns about provisions allowing landlords to reset rents to market levels once a tenant leaves, arguing this could lead to sharp increases over time. In response to similar concerns in the student accommodation sector, the Bill proposes that rents in purpose-built student housing cannot be reset to market levels until 2029, after which adjustments would be permitted only once every three years.
The proposed reforms also include the establishment of a new Rent Price Register and the introduction of a statutory definition of what constitutes a market rent, measures intended to bring greater transparency to the sector.
Beyond housing, Helen McEntee will brief Cabinet on progress towards legislation to abolish the Triple Lock, which currently requires a United Nations mandate for overseas deployment of the Defence Forces. The Government plans to remove this requirement and allow the deployment of up to 50 troops abroad without a Dáil resolution, subject to notification of the Oireachtas Defence and National Security Committee.
Minister McEntee will also outline preparations for St Patrick’s Day, with members of the Government and the Ceann Comhairle expected to visit more than 50 countries. The programme is intended to position Ireland as a reliable international partner committed to multilateralism, the rule of law, and open trade.
Other matters before Cabinet include a proposal from James Lawless to establish the State’s first National Skills Observatory, with a strong emphasis on artificial intelligence and future workforce needs. Jennifer Carroll MacNeill will provide an update on the Waiting Time Action Plan, which contains 36 measures aimed at reducing delays in access to healthcare.
Cabinet approval is also being sought by Jack Chambers and Simon Harris to enable the National Development Finance Agency to support the delivery of major capital projects. The redevelopment of the General Post Office and the National Concert Hall are expected to be among the first schemes to use this approach, with the aim of accelerating project delivery by up to a year.
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