No ‘special exemptions’ for students under latest Rent Pressure Zone system, James Browne says

There will be no special exemption for students under new Rent Pressure Zone (RPZ) legislation, Minister for Housing James Browne has said.

In advance of a meeting with the Minister for Higher and Further Education James Lawless over concerns students could face higher rents, Mr Browne said a special protection for student tenants in the private market would be “unworkable” and “unenforceable”.

Earlier this week, Mr Lawless had called for special exemptions for students who could be “inadvertently disadvantaged” by the new regulations due to the fact students change tenancies more frequently than other cohorts.

Under the proposed reform of RPZs, a student who started a new tenancy for each college year could see their rent increase to the market rate each time.

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Speaking after the Cabinet agreed on Tuesday to rush through legislation to extend RPZs to the entire country, Mr Browne said there “won’t be any special measures put in place in terms of the private rental sector, it will become impossible to police or to manage in those circumstances”.

He added: “There is no special exemptions in current law for people in that particular situation, and there won’t be under the new legislation either.”

Mr Browne said he would “engage” with Mr Lawless on proposals for students who could be coming into and out of a tenancy in one year as “that’s a very different particular set of circumstances”.

Mr Browne also denied it was a “mistake” not to rush through legislation to extend RPZs nationwide last week.

“I think we have moved very swiftly on this,” he said.

Labour’s housing spokesman Conor Sheehan earlier claimed he had seen “anecdotal” evidence of landlords in areas not yet covered by RPZs trying to increase their rents before the law was passed. Some 17 per cent of existing tenancies are not covered by RPZs, according to latest estimates.

Mr Browne said there “may” be some landlords who are currently carrying out a review of rents.

“What I always say to all the tenants, your rights are there in law. I know some tenants maybe may not be aware of that.”

He advised them to reach out to renters’ organisation Threshold or a local politician who would “certainly ensure that your rights are put in place”.

The Cabinet agreed to publish Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill 2025 for “priority enactment” with a view to having it pass all stages in the Oireachtas and be ready to be signed into law by the end of the week.

Meanwhile, the Taoiseach said Sinn Féin would vote for the RPZ legislation despite party leader Mary Lou McDonald’s “severe, exaggerated commentary” about the Government’s reforms.

The housing crisis again dominated Dáil leaders’ questions on Tuesday, with Ms McDonald claiming the “only certainty” from the Government’s move was that “rent is going to increase for every renter”. She said the reforms were “back of the envelope” stuff and “a jumble of contradictions”.

She said the “rent hike bill is a bonanza for the big property funds, the vultures for the corporate landlords, a blueprint to boost the profit of the big boys and to screw over renters”.

Ms McDonald said people moving into new build properties will “be hit with massive market rent from day one” and those who move frequently for work and education “will be absolutely hammered”.

However, Mr Martin said the bottom line was that “renters will have stronger protections than ever before”.

He said the Bill to extend the RPZs would be something that Sinn Féin has “no choice but to support” despite the party’s “hype and hyperbole”.

Labour leader Ivana Bacik said the Government is “trying to catch the Opposition off guard and govern by gotcha” but there was no “gotcha” moment for landlords.

She said landlords had bene given “a generous nine-months notice” which would allow them increase rents.

In response, the Taoiseach said Labour was afraid to make the tough decisions, afraid to enter government or support anything it perceived as potentially costing votes.

Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore said the one thing the reforms would do was drive rents higher. She said it was “an absolute disgrace” that students and those renting short-term would not be protected from rental resets.”