Sinn Féin TD for Dublin South West Seán Crowe has criticised Budget 2022 as offering nothing to renters and locking them into the broken rental market for another year, saying that this government clearly doesn’t understand the gravity of the issues facing people trapped in this sector.

Teachta Crowe said:

“There is absolutely nothing in Budget 2022 for renters who will continue to be crippled by rising rents. A Sinn Féin Government would have cut rents and freeze them for the next 3 years.

“This government clearly doesn’t understand the gravity of the issues facing people trapped in the rental sector. This Budget shows that they don’t have a clue what life is like for hard-pressed renters paying sky high rents.

“The average rent in Dublin is now €1800 per month. People handing over a huge and increasing chunk of their earnings to landlords. They stand no real chance of getting a deposit together. Yet the Government has turned a blind eye and taken no action. They have once again left renters to fend for themselves.

“We needed a budget to put workers and families first. We needed a budget to target resources where they are most badly needed. We didn’t get that. We will still have a housing crisis. Local Authority waiting lists will still get longer. We still are left with having the highest rents in Europe.

“Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are either out of touch or simply don’t care about the challenges facing ordinary working families. Sinn Féin has a plan for renters and a plan to deliver genuinely affordable homes. We would ban rent increases for three years and introduce a refundable tax credit worth one month’s rent for private rented sector tenants.”