Planned reforms to Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) could lead to an increase in homelessness, a charity has warned.
The changes to rent regulations anticipated next week are set to be debated by Cabinet.
Rents in an RPZ cannot be increased by more than the general rate of inflation or 2% per year, whichever is lower.
They were first introduced in Dublin and Cork in 2016 for a period of three years, but have since been expanded across the country.
However, changes will enable landlords to raise rents above current caps to market rates in between tenancies of at least six years.
John McCafferty, CEO of homelessness prevention charity Threshold, has said that any such dilution of rental protections could "push more renters into financial distress and, arguably, homelessness", saying RPZs should be continued until a "comprehensive step-down plan is put in place".
Among considerations to be made by Government this week is a method of limiting evictions in a tenant's first six years of tenancy in a property.
The Irish Independent is reporting that 'no fault evictions' - when the tenant is evicted without any wrongdoing on their part - may be restricted in those first six years
A no fault eviction may be because the landlord is selling the property.
Landlords will be able to “reset” rents after six years to market rates, under the plans.
A ban will also be in place for landlords with large numbers of properties from no fault evictions as part of reforms which are being considered this weekend by the Government.
RPZs are expected to be kept with annual rent increases capped at 2% or inflation, whichever is lower, but the rent cap will not apply to newly built apartments.
The easing of rental curbs for new apartments will aim to stimulate apartment building and increase rental stock under plans being brought forward by Housing Minister James Browne.
The Government believes that the proposed rules aim to give tenants greater security in giving them a guarantee of their rents for six years and how long they can be in the property.
McCafferty told RTÉ's This Week programme that any change to rents and the regulation of rent levels "must be balanced with increased security of tenure, as well as things like the revision of the Housing Assistance Payment rates".
"Despite it's flaws, the RPZs, as they're currently constituted, they've helped to moderate rent increases and without it, tenants would likely face substantial rent increases in certain scenarios that may or may not be planned by government," he said.
"If there is a real dilution of those rental protections, that would push more renters into financial distress and, arguably, homelessness.
"It's Threshold's opinion that the only way to successfully achieve a long-term, stable and affordable rental sector is to move to a more increased housing system where there's a much larger supply of social housing, a much larger supply of cost rental housing.
"And until that is the case, then we need a measure like the Rent Pressure Zones to continue to moderate rents and the rent increases into the foreseeable future."
A landmark report by the Housing Commission last year recommended that the use of RPZs be replaced with a system of “reference rents”, which would peg rent increases to a reference rent for local dwellings of similar quality.
The Housing Commission said such a reference should be reviewed at regular intervals.
Sinn Féin’s housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin has called the proposals “utter madness”.
He said there will now be four different rent setting rules and eviction rules for tenants: in RPZs and in existing tenancies; in RPZs and in new tenancies in existing rental stock; in RPZs and in new tenancies in newly built rental stock; and renters in tenancies outside RPZs.
“Renters are being punished for the Governments own housing failures with even higher rip off rents and greater uncertainty,” he said.
