Sinn Fein has slammed Fine Gael and Fianna Fail for continuing to oppose rent certainty.

Dublin MEP Lynn Boylan said the private rented sector is "not fit for purpose" and "isn't working".

She said: "A litany of reports, including RTB, DAFT and the most recent Savills report have demonstrated that rent prices are rising rapidly and in many areas are now higher than they were at the height of the boom.

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"Yet, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil continue to oppose rent certainty.

"Sinn Féin's Bill on Rent Certainty, which would have linked rent increases and decreases to the consumer price index, was vote down by the Fine Gael/Fianna Fáil partnership last June.

"This measure could have saved families up to €2,000 per year.

"Last week in the Seanad, Fine Gael, aided and abetted by Fianna Fáil, yet again voted against a Sinn Féin Rent Certainty Bill.

"The crisis in renting, in homelessness and in housing needs action.

"This is not complex. Tenants need certainty and security and at the core we need to build more homes."

(CD/LM)