At last, some good news for renters?

You’re a lucky renter if you’ve never encountered a landlord who demanded more than one month’s rent up front, but that practice is to be made illegal from today.

Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien will bring a proposal before Cabinet today to stop landlords from demanding more than one month’s rent up front. The maximum that landlords will now be able to demand is one month of rent, and a security deposit whose value is no higher than one month’s rent.

The move originally came about as a plan to help students ahead of the coming academic year, but will end the practice across the board. However, it will still be possible for renters to voluntarily opt in to such a payment plan if they prefer.

Covid-19 protections for renters are also expected to be approved and extended until the beginning of the 2022. These protections prevent any tenant who has faced financial hardship as a result of the pandemic from having their rent increased.

Last month, property website Daft confirmed reported that the cost of renting a home in Cork City had risen by an eye-watering 6.3% in the past 12 months. The average rent payment is now at €1,483, while a double room in Cork City will set you back €569 a month.

Last month, we published an account of 40 anonymous horror stories from the rental market in Cork. Many tenants have faced sharp increases in their rent over the course of the lockdown period, with some landlords going beyond the legal limit already in place.