Almost 500 Cork tenants have sought help from charity Threshold in past six months

Almost 500 Cork tenants have contacted housing charity Threshold about receiving eviction notices in the past six months.

The charity has also logged a 37% increase in calls about evictions in the first two months of this year, compared with the same period last year.

This month saw the replacement of rent pressure zones with a national rent control system. Despite Government claims that this would improve security for tenants, there has been concern that the rules could lead to more evictions across the country.

Cork City Council said 430 notices of termination were issued in the city since the start of 2025 — 366 last year, and 64 this January and February.

In September 2025, Threshold was contacted by 113 Cork people about a tenancy termination. This is compared to 83 calls during the same month in 2024. October and November were also up from 2024, though subsequent figures have decreased.

Overall, 491 people in Cork have contacted the charity about termination notices in the past six months — marking a 4% increase on the same time period last year.

Threshold southern regional manager Edel Conlon has said the charity had seen an increase this year in the number of tenants worried about eviction.

“Fortunately, we have not seen an increase in Cork-based renters with notices of termination, so far, [in 2026]” she said.

However, she said that there had been a small increase at the end of last year in the number of Cork-based renters getting in touch after receiving notices of termination, following on from an earlier spike in September.

“The increase may have been a result of people misunderstanding the proposed legislation and what it would mean for tenancies,” she said.

“The changes offer improved security of tenure for those in tenancies that commenced since March 1, 2026.”

She said there was “no reason” for tenants to be faced with a large rent increase at this time, and anyone who did should contact Threshold on 1800 454454.

Lucas van Bilderbeek of the Cork branch of the Community Action Tenants Union (CATU) said tenants were expressing worries about the new rental laws, and fears of rent hikes, adding that the union had noted an increase in new member registrations.

He said reported evictions in other parts of Ireland were concerning, and predictable.

“Landlords can raise their rents to a market rent, which is not clearly defined, but they have to wait for a new tenant, or just evict the current ones,” Mr van Bilderbeek said.

Meanwhile, new analysis from Threshold has highlighted the scale of homes being diverted into the short-term letting market during Ireland’s housing emergency.

There are now more than 8,600 second homes advertised for short-term let across Ireland, compared to 2,100 homes available nationwide in the private rental market.

Data analysed from Inside Airbnb and Daft.ie show that, nationally, short-term lets outnumber homes available to rent by 4.1 to 1.

Cork’s ratio, 3.7 to 1, is slightly below the national average, while Kerry has the highest, 30.6:1, followed by Clare at 28:1 and Donegal at 24.5:1.