Warning of 'onslaught of evictions' leading to mass homelessness

Tenants are facing an 'onslaught of evictions' according to John Mark McCafferty of Threshold. Picture: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie

The rental sector is facing “an onslaught of evictions”
with smaller landlords saying they are being driven from the market.

New figures from the Rental Tenancies Board showed on Monday that between April and June, 1,781 renters were given notice to quit, compared to 841 during the same period last year when the temporary eviction ban, introduced under Covid-19, was lifted.

Housing charity Threshold said that it had assisted almost 3,000 (2,821) renters who had received a notice of termination from their landlord, in the first six months of this year. Fifty-five per cent of those were for the purposes of sale.

John Mark McCafferty, Threshold CEO, said the private rented sector is “facing an onslaught of evictions”.

“Behind the statistics are individuals and families entering homelessness and losing their homes. 

John Mark McCafferty, CEO of Threshold, said 'it is imperative that the Government moves quickly' on the situation. Picture: Jason Clarke

“It is imperative that the Government moves quickly to formulate a specific, targeted strategy for evictions to help keep people in their homes and ensures some level of security around this.”

Focus Ireland’s advocacy director Mike Allen said that the Government must work to keep smaller landlords in the market. 

Mr Allen told RTÉ radio’s Today show with Philip Boucher Hayes that “something needs to be done”.

Mike Allen said that if families are evicted and 'hit the system, we will see something appalling'. Picture: Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland

“When those families (who have been given a notice) hit the system we will see something appalling,” he warned.

There was a misapprehension among landlords in relation to the rules about lifelong tenancy, they fear that “they can never put the tenants out”. 

This needed to be addressed as it was the reason why so many landlords were leaving the sector, he added. Mr Allen urged the Government to introduce tax relief for landlords who allow tenants to stay for a specific amount of time.

A spokesperson for the Institute of Professional Auctioneers & Valuers said the figures were “sadly unsurprising, given the regulatory and deeply onerous taxation burden on non-institutional landlords”.

Pat Davitt, Institute of Professional Auctioneers & Valuers chief executive said it was an issue that his organisation has been “warning about for several years at this stage”.

Pat Davitt is chief executive of the Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers. 

“The situation is getting worse, not better, with a plethora of further regulations this year, that are, we fully expect, contributing to the acceleration the RTB is now seeing,” he said.

A spokesperson for the Department of Housing said that not all notices will end up in an eviction and that Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien has told councils to buy homes under such orders if possible.

“It is important to note that the service of a notice of termination does not always translate into an eviction and may be intended as a further warning to the tenant to comply with their obligations on foot of a warning notice seeking payment of rent arrears.

“Minister O’Brien has made it very clear to Local Authorities that where there is a risk of individuals or families being evicted into homelessness as a result of a landlord selling the home that the local authority will be supported by the department to purchase the home should that be appropriate.

“The Government has legislated for tenancies of unlimited duration, a key action under Housing for All. All new tenancies created on or after June 11, 2022 will become tenancies of unlimited duration after six consecutive months in occupation under the tenancy, without a valid notice of termination having been served.”