The Government’s plans to introduce rent controls in Ireland are to be welcomed. However, that alone cannot bring a lasting solution to the housing crisis.

As it stands, the new measures aim to limit the power of landlords to raise rents to once every two years, in an effort to stem skyrocketing increases that are pricing people further and further out of Ireland’s major urban areas.

But not everyone believes that the new proposals will be progressive. Sinn Féin’s housing spokesperson Dessie Ellis TD said that the new limit “only delays the problem and does not address the fact many tenants will have their rent increased before these rules are in place.”

Indeed, skyrocketing rents have been links to increases in homelessness, anti-social behaviour and unemployment, while also affecting access to education and even health. This is not just in the capital – it’s happening throughout the country.

While Metro Éireann hopes that the new plan will be effective in the short term, we strongly believe that the Government must urgently invest in social housing. Funding should be provided to enable local authorities start the construction of both council and affordable housing units, but without rolling back efforts to make homes more efficient and more comfortable for living.