The government must address the problems within the Irish rental market with a comprehensive suite of measures, a Labour representative has said.

These comments come as the latest RTB figures show average rents in Dublin sit over €2,000.

Labour Senator Rebecca Moynihan has criticised Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil for being "out of touch with the reality of the housing crisis".

Senator Moynihan said: "This Saturday, we are taking to the streets to Raise the Roof and demand change for the hundreds of thousands of people struggling as a result of government failure to grasp the nettle. Piecemeal progress and tinkering around the edges is simply not good enough. We need radical action like a rent freeze while supply comes on stream to long term tackle the chaos in housing.

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"Such measures must be coupled with more fundamental European style rights for renters so we can have a culture change in how we think about renting, like a renters transparency register, a right to rent an unfurnished apartment, a right to own a pet.

"There is not a day that goes by without people contacting my office looking for help. Words like 'demoralising' and 'soul destroying' come up frequently. Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have been on the side of landlords for too long. They're happy to leave renters at risk of being exploited by landlords with unaffordable rents and little to no security of tenure. Meanwhile we totally lag behind other countries on renters' rights. This Saturday, we will Raise the Roof and demand government change their approach when it comes to housing."