Housing

Eoin Ó Broin: Sinn Féin in government would not seek ‘German-style’ control of the rental sector

The party does not want to see the majority of people live in the private rental sector. It would give tenants security by making it harder for landlords to carry out evictions and it would end tax breaks for build-to-rent investors

A modern residential apartment block in the Friedrichshain district of Berlin, Germany. Berlin’s governing parties struck a deal to freeze rents for five years to tackle spiraling housing costs. Picture: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg

The growth of Sinn Féin in the opinion polls has led to an increased level of media scrutiny of the party’s policies. This is a good thing. It helps inform the public of what a Sinn Féin government would seek to do if in power, and it also demands that party spokespersons ensure that policies are well thought through, based on sound evidence and deliverable in a term of office.

There will be those who ...