Sir, – As the rumblings around current rental rates increase with representations from all affected groups, it would seem impossible to ignore the effect that buy-to-let and heavily leveraged mortgages have on the rental sector.
In cases where landlords have absorbed additional taxation measures and coped with high levels of indebtedness, part of the current spike can surely be attributed to these individuals attempting to regain a sound financial footing and in some cases profit from their investments.
It would also seem possible that the increases sought in some of these instances are not linked to any inflation index, level of demand or reflect anything other than an individual landlords financial plight.
These increases could be said to be distorting the market and affecting tenants in a way which is simply unfair and unacceptable and hardly conducive to anything resembling a cohesive society.
Whether measures take the form of rental price regulation influenced by consumer and local indices or by other methods, the State must be urged to develop the tools and means that would remove the uncertainty caused by this rapidly deteriorating situation. – Yours, etc. SEÁN KING Clanbrassil St, Dublin 8. Sir, – The Government’s decision last week not to increase rent allowance payments, and to maintain rates at 2013 levels, has sealed the fate of many families journeying into homelessness.
Our Government argues that by increasing rent allowance payments there would be a subsequent rise in the already extortionately priced private rental sector. Rent allowance therefore, is not fit for purpose.
Originally designed as a short term payment to supplement the income of those with means, welfare recipients are simply not in a position to match today’s market rates.
An alternative, such as the Housing Assistance Payment, must soon be realised to address the ever increasing number of people entering homelessness. – Yours, etc, MUIREANN O’ REGAN Booterstown, Co Dublin.