A family of eight in Donegal has been evicted from their rental home without notice and left without any emergency accommodation. The eviction was carried out by a group of men who arrived at the property and forced the family out. The incident has been described as “truly shocking” by local politicians and has raised concerns about the lack of protections for tenants in Ireland.
The family, who had been renting the property for a year, had fallen behind on their rent due to the pandemic. They had been in communication with their landlord about their situation and had been making efforts to catch up on their payments. However, they were caught off guard when a group of men arrived at their door and demanded that they leave immediately.
The family contacted the local housing authority and were told that there was no emergency accommodation available for them. They ended up sleeping in their car for several nights before being offered temporary accommodation in a caravan by a local charity.
The incident has brought attention to the lack of protections for tenants in Ireland. Currently, there is no law requiring landlords to give notice before evicting their tenants, although they must obtain a court order to do so. There is also no requirement for landlords to provide emergency accommodation to tenants who have been evicted.
Local politicians have called for changes to be made to protect the rights of tenants. Sinn Féin councillor Liam Doherty said that the incident was “truly shocking” and “should never have happened”. He called for emergency accommodation to be provided to tenants who have been evicted and for stronger protections for renters.
The Housing Minister, Darragh O’Brien, has also expressed concern about the incident and has promised to review the country’s eviction laws. He said that he was “appalled” by what had happened and that the government would take action to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
The incident in Donegal is not an isolated case. There have been several high-profile evictions in Ireland in recent years, including the eviction of a group of activists from a vacant property in Dublin in 2018. These incidents have highlighted the need for stronger protections for tenants and for greater regulation of the rental market.
In the meantime, the family in Donegal is still struggling to find permanent accommodation. They are currently living in a temporary caravan provided by a local charity and are unsure of what the future holds. The incident has taken a toll on them, both financially and emotionally, and they are calling for greater support for tenants who find themselves in similar situations.
