The Dáil will tomorrow debate a bill from Social Democrats TD Cian O’Callaghan which aims to put a stop to mass evictions.
Deputy O’Callaghan, who is the party’s housing spokesperson, said:
“My Tenancy Protection Bill 2023 is about protecting people from mass evictions. Nobody who pays their rent on time should live in constant fear of homelessness.
“What renters really need is a ban on no fault evictions. Given that the Government has repeatedly refused to provide this basic level of protection, they should at least support my bill to fix the Tyrrelstown Amendment.
“This amendment was passed to prevent the eviction of 10 or more households in a single residential development at any one time after 40 renters in west Dublin were simultaneously given notices of termination in 2016.
“However, due to major flaws in the amendment, notices of termination continue to be received by the residents of several apartment complexes.
“This is because landlords can take advantage of a gaping loophole in the amendment if they argue that selling a property without evicting the renters would reduce the value of the sale by 20 per cent. By claiming this would cause them ‘undue hardship’ or be ‘unduly onerous’, they can still carry out mass evictions.
“In October 2022, nearly 100 people were given eviction notices in Tathony House in Dublin 8 using the ‘undue hardship’ clause. The residents won a case at the Residential Tenancies Board, with the landlord dropping his appeal against the decision last month.
“With the landlord dragging the threat of eviction out for over a year, 29 of the 34 households felt pressurised to leave the building. Last week, fresh eviction notices were issued to the five remaining households that are no longer protected by the Tyrrelstown Amendment.
“My bill will put a stop to this practice. We need to fundamentally change how we treat renters by ensuring that real security of tenure is guaranteed.”
December 6, 2023