Fianna Fail has launched a new Bill to provide clarity to ensure landlords cannot exploit the current rental crisis to impose unsafe and substandard living conditions.

The Bill strengthens penalties against landlords who breach overcrowsing rules.

Around 3,544 people have cited overcrowding as their primary reason for applying for social housing according to latest needs assessment information published last week.

TD Barry Cowen said: "Even today sub-standard accommodation is still being advertised across Dublin despite assurances from Government that it would deal with the issue. This is simply unacceptable and it’s clear new measures are needed to address the problem.

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"Our Bill sets the basic minimum space requirements for tenants. While fire safety legislation can be used to tackle issues such as overcrowding, it does not cover all units nor does it encompass quality of life standards. We have seen instances of gross overcrowding on national television which clearly shows that the issue needs to be tackled.

"The Bill draws from UK and Canadian provisions to establish a new standard. It also sets out stronger penalties for breaches of these standards. We undoubtedly need to increase the supply of new homes to deal with the housing crisis, but this does not mean we should just ignore the growing problem of overcrowded and unsafe properties. We cannot allow standards to fall and allow unscrupulous individuals to exploit the current housing crisis."

(CD/MH)