Generation Rent - Irish Times

Dr Stephan Köppe, Lecturer in Social Policy, features in Irish Times article on 'Generation Rent'. In the interview Köppe comments on stricter rent control and states:

“Often tenancy agreements are for a year, maximum four years, and then you have to try to renew it.

“It’s not like ‘now I’ve signed a contract and now I can stay in that home for 30 years’. With every renewal, the landlord has the potential to increase rent and there’s no limitation to that so that increases insecurity,” says Köppe.

While Köppe believes the widespread aspiration to home ownership is a very culturally embedded phenomenon in Ireland and the UK, he says many of the positives of home ownership can be found in renting, as they are in many continental European countries, where stricter rental regulations are in place.

“All studies suggest the feeling of home is really important. It has a lot to do with long-term commitment to the dwelling itself, but also the surrounding community.

“After four or five years, we see hardly any difference between renters and home owners. Once you are a long time in your place, you build those social links to the community and have those benefits. It’s really about making long-term rental attractive,”

The Irish Times article features also several personal stories of families with children struggling to find long term accommodation and can be found (opens in a new window)here.