A homeless campaigner says reports of a cap on rent increases of 2% doesn't go far enough.
The measure could be signed off by the Cabinet by the end of the month according to the Irish Independent.
Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien faced criticism following Tuesday's budget, with opposition parties saying there was little for renters.
A recent DAFT.IE report identified how chronic supply shortages are causing rents to spike, particularly in cities like Cork,
The average rent in Cork city is now €1524 while in the county rents were on average 13% higher in the second quarter of 2021 than in the previous year.
Fr Peter McVerry says a freeze on rents and a ban on evictions is urgently needed.
"The rents are far too high, I think everybody acknowledges that, and I think the very least we have to do is freeze the rents.
"When we had the rent freeze and the ban on evictions in the Covid months, the number of homeless people dropped by almost 2,000.
"It had a huge, huge effect, and I would like to see both of those measures brought into effect again."
