Sinn Féin spokesperson on Housing, Eoin Ó Broin TD, has called on government to immediately reverse the decision not to extend the eviction ban.
The call comes as the Residential Tenancies Board released data showing that 4741 eviction notices were served on tenants from July to September 2022.
Teachta Ó Broin said:
“The figures released by the Residential Tenancies Board today are truly shocking and seriously worrying. From July to September last year, 4,741 eviction notices were served by landlords on their tenants.
“This compares with 1,132 eviction notices from January to March and 1,666 from April to June last year.
“The latest figures show that the sale of homeless risk from April 1st, when the government’s ban on evictions ends, is much worse than expected.
“Notices issued from July to September would have, in many cases, fallen due from February during the ban period. A huge number of these notices will now fall due in April.
“This will mean more people than ever before will have to leave their rental homes. There is simply no way that homeless services will be able to cope with this level of need.
“The consequence will be thousands of people forced to stay with family and friends or overhold in their rental accommodation. It will also see a rise in rough sleeping and the prospect of families with children being referred to Garda stations for a safe place to sleep.
“These numbers are a direct consequence of government failure.
“For years they have over relied on the private rental sector to meet social and affordable housing need.
“For six years, single property landlords have been leaving the market.
“Despite this, government has abjectly failed to deliver a sufficient volume of social and affordable housing, or to purchase private rental accommodation with tenants in situ.
‘The consequence is the number of singles, couples, families with children and pensions facing the harsh reality of homelessness in a matter of weeks.
“Government must immediately reverse the decision to end the ban on evictions. Emergency legislation must be brought before the Dáil before the ban ends on March 31st and all renters must be given the protection they deserve.
“The government must also accompany the extension of the ban on evictions with a package of emergency measures to extend and expand the tenant in situ scheme for social and affordable rental and using emergency planning and procurement powers to target vacant and derelict homes and new building technologies to ramp up the delivery of public housing.”
The RTB figures can be read here.
