RENTERS MAY BE able to find out what the average price is being paid for rent on their street next year. 

It had been envisaged that a rent register would be introduced that would give greater transparency into the level of rent being paid in each individual property. 

However, the Residential Tenancies Act, which is due to be signed into law in the next fortnight, stopped short of allowing for the publication of a much talked-about rent register, which would allow potential tenants to see what the previous occupant was paying.

Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy acknowledged the delay in establishing a rent register is “frustrating” stating that rent transparency is “incredibly important”. 

It was hoped an amendment in law would allow for a rent register to be set up which would allow the Residential Tenancies Board to publish rental amounts in different localities.

Attorney General 

However, the proposed amendment was examined by the Office of the Attorney General (AG) to ensure it was legally sound.

“I know it is frustrating, I have been working with the AG to see what we can do to achieve that level of rent transparency with a rent register.

“The legal advice we have gotten is that it is not possible at this stage, so we have looked at other legislation and I informed the Dáil that we have found legislation where we can bring about a much better degree of rent transparency than we have, but it would be more at the street, at the aggregate level,” explained the minister.

“We still believe we can achieve rent transparency, not at the individual property level, but perhaps at the street level and we are still working at bringing in those reforms later on in the year,” he added. 

From the beginning of next year, an annual register of rents will be collated by the RTB, however, the minister said to what extent that information can be made public is yet to be determined.