Landlords in Ireland are complaining of ever increasing government regulations and not being allowed operate in a free market. The Accommodation and Property* forum is absolutely overrun with landlords complaining they are not being treated as a fair business.
I would argue that they are not and should not be treated as a business. A real business needs customer satisfaction and competition. Being a landlord in Ireland today only requires inherent wealth.
The links below highlight how they can get away with practices that in real business would see you against the wall but have little consequence to these "businesses". Would where you work get away with it? Is it just exploitation?
https://www.google.ie/amp/s/amp.independent.ie/irish-news/i-never-stopped-renting-the-house-is-still-the-same-landlord-of-overcrowded-property-dodges-inspection-to-continue-to-rent-36424566.htmlhttps://www.google.ie/amp/s/amp.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/97-of-cork-rental-homes-failed-safety-checks-779238.html
*I broached this in the accommodation and property forum to a landlord excusing failing safety checks and it was deleted.