Labour Senator Aideen Hayden in once again calling again for a serious national debate on rent certainty for tenants.

One in five families in Ireland now live in homes rented from a private landlord and the numbers are rising.

She said: "Renting is a long-term reality for many families in this country. Figures published today by the PRTB confirm what anyone on the ground already knows that rents continue to rise. The PRTB rent index show rent increases of 10% in Dublin, while Threshold the national housing charity reports rent increases between 20% and 50%.

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"Families in Ireland are losing their homes on a daily basis because of rent increases they cannot afford. While homelessness is the worst aspect of this problem, the fact is that figures show that tenants earning the average industrial wage of €36,000 are now paying 41% of their income on rent.

"Given what has happened to the property market and banking system in this country, renting must be a real housing option for families and this means that excessive, arbitrary and unjustifiable rent increases cannot be allowed."

(CD/MH)