Minister Coveney Announces Review Of Residential Rental Sector

A review of the Residential Rental Sector has been announced by the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Simon Coveney.

The Minister made the announcment as he hosted a Stakeholder Consultation Workshop on the sector at the Morrison Hotel in Dublin, which commences the consultative process on the promised review of the Residential Rental Sector.

The purpose of the consultation workshop is to launch the stakeholder consultation that will inform the development of that strategy.

Opening the event Minister for Housing and Urban Planning, Damien English, said: "The residential rental sector is an essential component of the housing sector, and its vital role needs to be recognised and planned for. It has gone through considerable change over the last ten to fifteen years, doubling in size and providing long-term homes for more people."

Minister Coveney said: "On the 19th of July we launched Rebuilding Ireland, Action Plan for Housing & Homelessness and Pillar 4 of the plan is about improving the Rental Sector. One of the main actions in this regard is the development of a comprehensive strategy for the rental sector which will be in place before the end of the year. I am pleased today to be in a position to commence the consultative part of this process."

The workshop is structured in roundtable discussion groups, involving a mix of different stakeholders. Each table will discuss a key theme for the strategy and will be asked to address a number of questions. There will be a moderator at each table, who will introduce and facilitate the discussion and provide feedback to the workshop plenary on the key points of debate and agreement.

Minister Coveney continued: "In developing a real and meaningful strategy for the rental sector I am determined that it will provide a vision of the role that the rental sector will play in the short, medium and long term, in the context of the Government's objectives for the housing sector overall, as set out in Rebuilding Ireland.

"It will contain a range of actions focused on the 4 key areas of security, supply, standards and services. In terms of security, we will look at bringing greater tenure and rent certainty to landlords and tenants, and in terms of supply we will examine how to maintain existing levels of stock while encouraging investment in additional supply, including through affordable rental.

"I would urge everybody to get involved and have their say in this review. The private rented sector provides a very valuable contribution to the Housing Market and it is imperative that we have a proper functioning sector. A quality sector that meets the needs of both tenants and landlords equally and fairly is what I am want to see," concluded Minister Coveney.

(MH/CD)