Labour’s rent plan an obvious choice for young people
Labour Youth has described the Labour Party’s housing policy as the “most credible of any party”.
Labour Youth member and renter Hazel Gavigan said:
“Labour’s core policies to support renters make them the obvious choice for me.
“A continuation of current policy would mean that rent subsidies will cost the State more than €700 million in 2020. That’s enough to build 3,500 publicly owned homes. What’s needed is a change in the State’s approach – we are throwing good money after bad money.
“The Labour Party has been consistent in its calls for a vast and realistic building programme for Ireland, alongside measures to freeze rents, introduce an NCT-style inspection system for rental properties and regulate short-term letting. Senator Kevin Humphreys has been relentless in pressing Fine Gael to stop landlords from abusing short-term letting platforms like AirBnB to push people out of our communities who actually need to live in them.
“The Government cannot be trusted with the State’s finances and it cannot be trusted to look after renters; it is simply not Fine Gael’s ideology.”
Labour Youth is encouraging young renters and those stuck living at home on account of the housing crisis to vote Labour #1 on the 8th February and to continue their preferences for left-wing political parties who will work to resolve the housing crisis.
Labour will:
- Ban the practice of landlords asking for more than one month’s rent as a deposit and will implement the legislation on a deposit protection scheme;
- Introduce a rent-to-buy-scheme;
- Introduce a rent freeze;
- Introduce an NCT-style inspections for rental properties;
- Strengthen the powers of the Residential Tenancies Board and increase its staff so that it has the capacity to fulfill its mandate;
- Regulate short term letting;
- Oblige local authorities to publish annual statistics into inspections of private rental accommodation to ensure regulations are correctly and effectively enforced.