Caps on rent increases for Dublin and Cork could be in place before the end of this week.
Housing minister Simon Coveney has unveiled new measures to limit rent increases which he wants to turn into law before Christmas.
The measures will see rent increases in Cork and Dublin capped at 4% a year - with other areas following suit if they continue to rise above the national average.
Minister Coveney says linking rent to inflation would "cut off supply" - and a 4% increase is a fair balance:
Minister Coveney hopes to introduce laws to give effect to his new ceiling system before the Christmas break - suggesting laws will be rushed through the Dáil and Seanad this week.
But opposition parties have expressed some reservation about the plan - with some saying the 4% cap is both too little, and too late.
Many had previously called for the rent cap to be linked to the rate of inflation, which currently stands at -0.1%.
Our political correspondent Gavan Reilly filed this report for Today FM's National Lunchtime News:
