Housing Minister: Ending evictions ban could lead to increase in homelessness

Darragh O'Brien said that despite the ban not working, he does not regret introducing it

Darragh O'Brien said that he had received Government approval to enter into an additional 1,000 leases for those who are homeless. 

Ending the evictions ban could "very possibly" lead to an increase in homelessness, the Housing Minister has admitted.

However, speaking at Government Buildings as he confirmed the Government decision to end the emergency ban, Darragh O'Brien said that the move was a 'responsible' one. He said that despite the ban not working, he does not regret introducing it.

Under the Government announcement on Tuesday, notices of no-fault evictions can resume in mid-June but tenants whose homes are being sold will be given the option to purchase their homes among three schemes announced. 

Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) will have the option to purchase homes occupied by those who don't qualify for social housing and rent the home on a cost-rental basis.  

Mr O'Brien said that he had received Government approval to enter into an additional 1,000 leases for those who are homeless.  Some 600 of those homes will be delivered this year, he said, adding that many are one- and two-bedroom units. 

The Government also approved an expansion of the Tenant In Situ scheme, which allows councils to buy the homes of those who are on rent supports when they come up for purchase and the CALF funding model, used by AHBs will be overhauled.

Mr O'Brien said that a bespoke arrangement was needed for those whose landlords were selling their homes, something he was "acutely aware" of.

Those renters whose homes are being sold will also qualify for the First Home Equity Scheme, Mr O'Brien said. This scheme has previously only been open to those buying new-build homes.

The minister said that the Government had used the moratorium to bring 500 emergency homeless beds and 1,500 cold-weather beds into the system.

Mr O'Brien said that the evictions ban, announced in September, had "not worked as anticipated" and that it had been "potentially storing up larger problems".

"I and Government must be conscious that any short-term benefit has to be assessed to see whether it will be outweighed by long-term further damage to the private rental sector. It has not had the impact of reducing homelessness numbers. 

What's your view on this issue?

You can tell us here

"They have moderated somewhat, but people are still entering homelessness for various reasons. For instance, in the latest Dublin Regional Homelessness Executive Homeless Report for January, relationship breakdown was the main driver of single homelessness in the city."

Mr O'Brien said that the Attorney General had advised that there was "significant risk" of a legal challenge if the ban was extended.

"We received very detailed advice from the attorney around a number of options. And there's no question that there would be a significant risk of a challenge based on further extension of the moratorium. What I would say though, too, is that we have a challenge already in the courts to the measures that we've taken already.

"And I think on balance, we have to do as a government, what we see is right for the medium-term sustainability of tenancies that are in place in the sector itself also, you can't ignore the fact that we've lost thousands of tenancies and properties over the last number of years. 

"And there's been reasons for that — we've had a demonisation of landlords, frankly, we've had a big push against any type of corporate arrangements around institutional investment as well."