Over 7,000 households face eviction as landlords sell properties, according to data from the Residential Tenancies Board. Of 5,358 notices received in H2 2020, 59% were issued because of landlord sales. In the last three months of the year, 4,329 Notices to Quit were issued, representing a 9% decrease from the previous quarter. Almost two-thirds of notices were from Dublin with smaller numbers in other areas. The Irish government plans to pass legislation broadening tenants’ rights, including rights of first refusal to purchase sold properties, but this is unlikely to become law until the summer.

Over 7,000 households in Ireland are facing homelessness as landlords exit the rental market. In the last six months of 2020, 59% of all notices of termination were issued because the landlord intended to sell their property. The country’s homeless charity, the Simon Community, stated that it is concerned that these evictions will intensify the homelessness crisis, which has spiked in recent years. Landlords were still able to issue eviction notices after the eviction ban came into effect in October 2020, but move-out dates were delayed until after the ban ended. The government plans to legislate to give tenants first refusal on buying their properties if landlords choose to sell, but the new measures will take time to kick in. Sinn Féin TD Louise O’Reilly and homelessness campaigner Fr Peter McVerry have called for the eviction ban to be extended to mitigate the effects of the evictions.