Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin TD has today written to the Minister for Housing urging him to ‘remove the overcrowding exemption from the winter ban on evictions.’ 

Teachta Ó Broin said:

“Darragh O’Brien promised to introduce a no fault eviction ban for the coming winter months. However, Section 2 of the Bill not only allows for evictions in cases of non payment of rent, anti social behaviour or damage of property. It also allows a landlord to issue an eviction notice where the property is overcrowded.

“This provision was a surprise and there is simply no reason for it to be in the Bill. It is rarely used as grounds for eviction. It has the potential to put large families, including those such as Travellers and Roma families at risk of eviction. These are the very same families who because of their size find it harder to exit homelessness.

“There is also a concern that this provision could be used by landlords who want to evade the winter ban evictions. It creates an unnecessary and dangerous loophole in the legislation.

“I am urging Minister O’Brien to accept a Sinn Féin amendment to the Bill to remove the overcrowding exemption from the winter ban on evictions and to deliver on his promise to introduce a ban on all no fault evictions.”