Fine Gael is the party of homeownership. We believe that homeownership should be within reach of all our citizens, but for many, this aspiration does not feel real.
Since 2016 under Rebuilding Ireland, nearly 93,000 new homeshave been built. We’re now building more than 20,000 homes a year, up 300% from the 5,000 built in 2012.
We are delivering the largest social housing programme in decades. Over the past three years, there has been a huge ramping up in the number of new homes added to the stock of social housing. Last year, this number grew by 10,000.
We delivered over 42,500 new Social Houses since 2016 under Rebuilding Ireland.
We have met the housing needs of over 137,000 people through New Builds, Acquisition, Leasing, HAP & RAS
We believe in homeownership and we know how hard it can be to get together a deposit. The Help to Buy Scheme has helped over 28,500 people buy their first home. Sinn Fein wants to abolish it.
Protecting Renters – We have passed new legislation to strengthen tenants’ rights, extend rent controls, and sanctions for landlords who breach rent caps and more powers for the RTB to protect vulnerable tenants.
Fine Gael introduced the legislation to bring in a 4% annual cap on rent increases within designated Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) and we have now linked rental rates with inflation, with a 2% cap for when inflation is running at higher than this.
We are focused on increasing the level of home building, but we must adopt a sensible and responsible approach, to avoid repeating the mistakes of the Celtic Tiger era. During that period, reckless bank lending drove record house prices and fuelled unsustainable debt; homes were often built to poor standards; basic services and infrastructure were not provided for households living in poorly located developments.
We believe that over 35,000 new homes are needed every year to meet demand and we are working to achieve and maintain this level of home building.
Following the achievements of the Rebuilding Ireland Plan, we have, in conjunction with coalition partners, introduced the Housing for All policy and action plan for Housing.
Fine Gael has significantly improved tenant protections and is moving the Irish rental market towards the rental model found in other European states, with rent certainty and security, and longer leases.
Homelessness has a devastating impact on families and individuals. Resolving this crisis is among the most important challenges facing our country and Fine Gael is committed to ensuring that the most vulnerable have access to safe accommodation. Housing for All expands the Fine Gael-introduced Housing First policy which provides wraparound supports to persons experiencing homelessness.
