'No child should be put through that trauma': Cork councillor calls for targeted eviction ban for families

A call has been made to implement stronger protections for renters this Christmas as more than 1,700 notices to quit have been issued to Cork renters so far this year.

According to figures published by the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB), there were 15,826 notices to quit, or notices of termination (NoTs), issued by landlords to renters across the country between Q1 and Q3 of this year, 1,706 of which were in Cork.

Across Cork, there were 591 NoTs issued by landlords to renters in Q1, followed by 527 in Q2 and 588 in Q3, representing an increase of 19.7% on the 1,425 NoTs that were issued to Cork renters between Q1 and Q3 of 2024.

The most common reasons for issuing NoTs, on a national scale, were that the landlord intended to sell the property, followed by a breach of tenant obligations, and that the landlord or member of the landlord’s family intended on moving into the property.

Labour Party councillor Peter Horgan said: "No child in Ireland should face eviction into homelessness - this is a basic, humane, safeguard. In Cork city, where rents continue to outpace wages, this measure is not only justified, but vital to stop families from being forced into emergency accommodation."

He, along with Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik, have called for an eviction ban to be implemented, specifically for households with children.

“The data makes it clear. This housing crisis is now hitting workers with no safety net,” Mr Horgan said.

“People who keep Cork running are being told they earn too much for supports, but cannot find a rental when a notice to quit arrives. This is a failure of national policy and requires urgent action.

“A targeted eviction ban for families with children is the minimum step needed to protect young people from homelessness. No child should be put through that trauma,” he added.

“From a council perspective, we are building homes, but the here and now is what Government must address. Other than videos encouraging adults to move back in with their parents, they should reinstate the no fault eviction ban to protect people from homelessness.”

Mr Horgan’s comments come as The Echo revealed that, in Cork city, 93 families will spend Christmas in emergency accommodation.

According to figures provided at this week’s meeting of Cork City Council, 67 families will spend their first Christmas in emergency accommodation, 21 their second, three their third, and two their fourth or more.

Meanwhile, in the National Development Plan’s (NDP) Sectoral Plan for Housing, housing minister James Browne said almost €25bn in NDP funding has been allocated to Housing Capital Programmes.

Over the lifetime of the NDP, €1bn has been allocated to support the Housing Activation Office and Housing infrastructure; almost €20bn has been allocated to Social and Affordable Housing Delivery Programmes; and €4.2bn has also been allocated to programmes providing key supports for housing needs across the country.

The publication further stated that this funding will be supplemented by investment through the Land Development Agency and lending through the Housing Finance Agency.

Mr Browne said tackling the crises in both housing and homelessness is “a priority for this Government and the funding allocated as part of this NDP reflects that.

“We are in a housing crisis, and we are responding by providing an unprecedented amount of funding for housing,” said Mr Browne.

“[The funding] will allow us to scale up the delivery of social and affordable housing to levels never seen before in this state. We will work with everybody to meet our ambitious target of at least 300,000 new homes by 2030 and, where necessary, we will call out those instances where we feel delivery is not proceeding at the pace and scale it should be. I will be relentless in tackling the housing crisis.”