Proposed eviction ban will exacerbate market problems, claims Cork agent

A move by the Government to ban evictions this winter is “f****** over the most vulnerable people who need rental properties”, according to a Cork estate agent.

On Tuesday the Government approved a one-off ban on evictions ahead of the “exceptional” winter period.

The ban will mean that landlords who want to sell or live in the property they rent out can still issue an eviction notice, but that it cannot take effect until April next year at the earliest.

Exceptions to the moratorium are the non-payment of rent, antisocial or criminal behaviour, or using a property for purposes that it was not let for.

Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien said the Cabinet had approved the ban to “provide some space” amid a shortage of accommodation and to recognise “the exceptional times that we’re actually in”.

Rose Property Services managing director Mark Rose said the eviction ban is scaring landlords away from the rental market, and “f****** over the most vulnerable people who need rental properties”.

He said although this winter’s eviction ban is proposed as a once-off measure, it doesn’t dispel fears amongst landlords that it might happen again, or continue past next spring.

Mr Rose said he has been inundated with phone calls in the past week from clients looking to sell.

“We have a supply crisis, the only thing that can solve all of this is supply, and the minister has just lost more supply.

“It’s like if your boat is sinking, and you say, ‘I’ll just put a hole below the waterline to let the water out’,” he said.

Mr Rose said there are no easy solutions or silver bullets to increase rental supply across the country, but that a key part of the solution is to keep small investors — landlords who make up 86% of the market — in the market.

He said the eviction ban will only increase the number of these landlords looking to sell up, to the detriment of people scrambling over a diminishing number of rental properties.

“It sounds great, that the Government is doing something… but the rental market is sinking now faster than it was six months ago.

“Tomorrow is going to be worse than today for supply, and the day after will be worse than that.

So I don’t really know where this ends, but it’s getting worse,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin TD for Cork North Central Thomas Gould has said the temporary ban on evictions must be accompanied by “a package of measures to accelerate and increase the delivery of public housing to meet social and affordable housing need in Cork”.

“Any such package must do more to bring vacant units back into stock,” he added.

“It must include the delivery of high quality, permanent modular homes.

“It must increase the purchase of private rental homes with HAP and RAS tenants in place and at risk of eviction.

“And, it must cut the red tape and bureaucracy that is slowing down the delivery of much needed social homes,” he said.

New legislation will be required to implement the ban, which is expected to be introduced next week. The Government is hoping the ban will take effect from November 1.