Council tenants to protest in Dublin against proposed rent hikes

Tenants from several Dublin council estates have announced a protest at City Hall in opposition to proposed rent hikes.

If passed, the proposal would increase household rent from 15% of income to 18% and raise subsidiary earners' rent from €21 to €40.

Dublin City Council officials reportedly told councillors the proposal aims to support revenue generation and "ensure fairness."

Council Tenants Against Rent Hikes called the protest, which is set to be held outside Dublin City Hall during the full council meeting on December 1.

"Dublin City Council to hike rents," said Council Tenants Against Rent Hikes on Facebook.

"We say no way!"
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Council tenant James O'Toole penned a piece about the proposal for socialist activist platform Red Network.

"The council claim that rents haven’t risen in 30 years but that’s not true because the rents have always been a percentage of income which means that as wages and welfare payments have risen over the years so has the rent each persons pays in absolute numbers," O'Toole said.

"The council says they need the money to pay for maintaining council estates but central government has spent 40 years intentionally running down our estates in order to drive people into the private market to rent or to buy.

"The councils have other revenue raising powers - they could raise rates on big businesses, they could go after developers and landlords who leave sites derelict or vacant, they could demand funding from central government...The council is owed tens of millions for these vacant sites, far more than the money they’re trying to take from council tenants. Why not take this seriously? Collect the money owed and push sites back into use to tackle the housing crisis."

O'Toole encouraged other council tenants to join the protest, writing, "If we stand together we can force the council to backtrack on this."

The proposal comes amid a cost-of-living crisis across the country due to a rise in inflation since 2021.

An April study by the Economic and Social Research Institute in Dublin found the crisis has disproportionately affected lower-income households, with the amount of households unable to afford basic necessities rising 20%.

It would be the first planned change to how their rent is calculated in 30 years.

Sinn Féin issued a statement today declaring it would oppose any proposed rent increase for council tenants.

"Families are really struggling with the cost of living crisis," said Daithí Doolan, Sinn Féin Leader on Dublin City Council, in the statement.

"People are being pushed to the pin of their collar trying to cover the cost of food, heating and fuel. The last thing working families need is a rent increase. Families in council housing are in overcrowded conditions, poorly insulated homes, requiring urgent upgrades. Demanding more rent is an insult.

"Families with grown children cannot be demanding more money from them to cover a rent increase while the same children are struggling to save for a mortgage or a deposit...The real problem is that the central government is starving Dublin City Council of essential funding to cover maintenance of council housing."

Doolan added the Sinn Féin Group on the City Council will meet later today to discuss strategies to oppose the rent hikes.

Speaking to The Journal, People Before Profit councillor Conor Reddy said he believes councillors will be able to vote on the proposal, "but unfortunately from early conversations it seems that they will have the numbers to vote this through."

Reddy added People Before Profit would also oppose any rent hikes for council tenants.

Reddy said council officials have considered concerns raised by councillors about the plans, and he believes there will be some amendments and it may be part of the council’s next budget.

"This should be the State’s issue, not the issue of tenants in social housing," Reddy said.