It’s been almost a decade since rent pressure zones (RPZs) were introduced to curb sharp spikes in rent and cap increases at 2 per cent or the rate of inflation, whichever is the lower.
Initially they were confined to Dublin and other big cities but have since been extended across the State, to 24 of the 31 councils, and 111 of the 166 local electoral areas.
Castlebar, Co Mayo, and Tullow, Co Carlow, were the latest to be added to the list in May.
After a three-hour-long meeting of leaders last night, it was decided that a proposal be put at Cabinet today that RPZs would be extended to the whole country.
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As well as Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris, the meeting was attended by Minister for Housing James Browne, Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe and Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers.
Pat Leahy reports it was also confirmed that landlords would not be allowed to reset rent between tenancies, unless tenants have left voluntarily or have breached the tenancy agreement. In other words, a notice to quit will not be sufficient to allow a rent review.
As the report states: “Housing advocates had warned the Government that allowing landlords to reset the rent between tenancies would result in many tenancies being terminated by the landlords in order to increase the rents.”
The import is that the extension of the RPZs plus the new clause on rent review will be seen to favour tenants rather than landlords.
For the first time also, landlords will be classified according the number of properties owned. At present, all landlords are treated the same regardless of how many properties they own. Now, smaller landlords will be categorised as such if they own three properties or less.
Here is Pat Leahy’s analysis of the proposed changes.
‘Modest’ increases in local property tax from 2026
There is also another big property-related article in The Irish Times this morning setting out the expected increases in local property tax (LPT) from next year.
There has been an increase of over 20 per cent in property prices since 2021, the last time changes to LPT were made.
The report has a preview of a memo Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe is expected to bring to Cabinet this morning: “Fearing substantial hikes in tax bills, the Government is expected to change the way the tax is calculated in advance of the next date for revaluation on November 1st of this year.”
The implications are that houses valued at under €240,000 will see their LPT bill increase by only €5 a year. Properties valued between €420,000 and €525,000 will see increases of €23, still relatively modest.
At the top tier there will be more substantial hikes. Those with properties valued between €1.995 million and €2.1 million will pay an extra €389 a year.
Israel war bonds to be debated again in Dáil
The last week in May in the Dáil was dominated by an intense debate over the role played by the Central Bank in authorising for the European markets bonds that have been issued by the state of Israel. The Government has argued it is a technical process that has fallen on our Central Bank to do for Europe and that Ireland has never bought bonds.
The Opposition has said the bonds are war bonds and the State or its institutions should have no part whatsoever in dealing with the bonds.
A Sinn Féin Private Members’ Bill to effectively stop the Central Bank from dealing with them was defeated in the Dáil, but not before two Government TDs, Barry Heneghan and Gillian Toole, voted with the Opposition.
Now, after the week’s recess, the same issue is being debated in the Dáil this week, on foot of a Private Members’ motion being tabled by the Social Democrats. The four big Opposition parties have combined again to back it and held a press conference on the plinth. Part of the strategy is to put more pressure on Government backbenchers to abstain or vote against an issue where not all are comfortable with the Coalition’s position.
There are more details of the motion here.
Best Reads
Fintan O’Toole focuses on a statistic that shows that some students sitting State exams this week went to bed hungry last night. We should be mortified, he writes.
Eoin Burke-Kennedy writes that the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council has predicted another surge in corporation tax.
Joe Humphreys’s great Unthinkable column asks should we be quite so smug about Trump’s tariffs?
Playbook
The Cabinet meets this morning with a big agenda, including Government concern over what retaliatory tariffs the EU will impose on the US; almost 500 new places in higher education to address key shortages of health and social care professionals; a new incentive scheme to retain air traffic controllers in the Air Corps; and a new antiterrorism Bill.
Full details are to be found in this preview of the meeting.
Dáil
14:00: Leaders’ Questions
14:34: Order of Business
15:04: Bills for Introduction: Taxes Consolidation (Rights of Performers and Film Workers) (Amendment) Bill 2025 – First Stage
15:10: Taoiseach’s Questions
15:55: Government Business: Statements on Housing
19:27: Private Members’ Business (Sinn Féin): Motion re Urgent action on vacant Council Housing
21:27: Parliamentary Questions: Oral – Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications Darragh O’Brien
00:03: Dáil adjourns
Seanad
14:30: Commencement Matters
15:30: Order of Business
16:30: Government Business: Statements on Breast Cancer Services
18:45: Private Members’ Business: Motion re Insurance Reform
20:45: Seanad adjourns
Committees
11.30: Artificial Intelligence
Research Ireland: Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
12.05: Comhchoiste na Gaeilge
An Plean Náisiúnta um Sheirbhísí Poiblí Gaeilge 2024-2030
15.00: Housing
Discussion on the Report of Housing Commission
15.00: Justice
Engagement on Policing Matters
18.00: Arts, Media, Communications
Prelegislative Scrutiny of revised General Scheme of the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill
