TD warns new Residential Tenancies Bill will cause "big rent hikes" in Louth

Sinn Féin TD for Louth Joanna Byrne has warned that the new Residential Tenancies Bill will cause "big rent hikes" in Louth.

Debating the bill in the Dáil, Deputy Byrne said the latest government intervention in the rental market will make things worse for renters. 

Deputy Byrne said market rents in Louth were on average 6.4% higher in 2025 compared to the year previous, and up by 52% from the time of the Covid pandemic. She said the average listed rent is €1,907.

The Sinn Féin TD noted that the problem is even worse in Drogheda and pointed out a three-bed home in the town was advertised for an "eye-watering" €3,250 per month. 

She warned that the introduction of the new bill will "continue to drive those rents up" in Louth, and called for the government to "bin" the legislation. 

“Nobody wants this Bill, except for the big institutional investors to
increase their profits. The Government's entire housing and rental policy seems to be in service to those big businesses, not the men, women and children who need affordable rental accommodation in Louth and throughout this State," she said. 

During the same debate, fellow Sinn Féin TD for Louth Ruairí Ó Murchú dubbed the changes "the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael rent-hike Bill". 

"This is going to allow vulture funds and big landlords to hike up the rents of 60,000 people every year. That means thousands of euro extra will be paid in rent from 1 March. It is hard to believe," he said.

Deputy Ó Murchú also noted the jump in house prices in Louth. 

"The average price of a three-bedroom house in Louth in the third quarter of 2025 was €1,966, which was an 8.7% increase on the year before. Obviously the protections we did have were insufficient. I can only imagine what we will be looking at next year. I dread to think."

"In Dundalk, the cost of a three-bedroom house is €2,100 per month. It is €1,150 per month for a studio apartment. It is €1,850 per month for a three-bedroom house. A two-bedroom house is €1,550 per month. It goes on, but not that far because the other thing we realise is that nobody can get a rental," he said.

Deputy Ó Murchú said TDs are "inundated with people who have received notices to quit in the past while", and said Louth County Council and other local authorities are struggling to find a solution. 

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Minister for Housing James Browne said the new bill will introduce measures to protect tenants, including a no-fault eviction for larger landlords. 

Minister Browne said the existing measures were restricting supply and potential policy options. He argued that the new bill, which will come in to effect from March 1st, will boost investment in the supply of rental housing, and aims to keep landlords in the market. 

The new legislation will cap rent increases at 2% or at the rate of inflation. 

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.