The government could do a lot for the renters of this country

House buyers enjoy the benefit of mortgage interest relief. You may have seen this tax relief used to justify the "Buy versus Rent" type articles that our friends in the estate agency business are so fond of publishing in the national media.

The deal is this: The government help you pay the money that the banks charge you to rent the money from them to own a property. This amounts to a benefit of €2000 per single person, or €4000 per couple per annum. Renters enjoy a much less generous benefit. The government helps you pay the money that a landlord charges you to rent a property from them. This amounts to €400 per single person, or €800 per couple per annum.

The government does a lot for the landlords of this country

The government favours home buyers over home renters by a factor greater than 4 to 1. This is grossly unfair. The problem is probably that landlords also receive relief for the interest they pay on the mortgages on the properties that people rent from them, along with a host of other tax benefits or write-offs.

This, along with the likes of section 23 and various other government interventions in the property market have contributed to the explosion of amateur landlords who were the scourge of first time buyers for the last 7 or 8 years, outbidding them in auctions.

A quick look at the Register of Members Interests of Dáil Éireann shows that being a landlord or owning a land-bank is a fairly popular side line for members of the Dáil.