As the eviction ban comes to an end, tenants across the country are bracing themselves for the worst. With thousands of households at risk of being evicted from their homes, many are referring to this moment as a “horror movie” come to life. The COVID-19 pandemic has hit renters particularly hard, leaving many struggling to keep up with their rent payments. In this article, we will explore the consequences of this imminent wave of evictions and what can be done to help those facing this frightening reality.
Housing charities are urging tenants facing eviction from next week to check the validity of any notice of termination, but they are warning that emergency accommodation may be the only option available to many. Threshold, a housing charity, reported that over 400 tenants who received termination notices had sought advice from the charity in March, following a previous pause on evictions due to the eviction ban. The government chose not to extend the eviction ban beyond 31st March, which was put in place on 30th October last year. This measure prevented landlords from evicting people, even if a valid notice of termination had been issued. The decision to lift the ban has been harshly criticised by opposition politicians and housing charities. This means that thousands of termination notices sent to tenants last year will come into effect on 1st April.
Veteran homeless campaigner Fr Peter McVerry described the end of the eviction ban as “a horror movie” for tenants and said he was very concerned about where people were going to find emergency accommodation. Conversely, John Mark McCafferty, chief executive of Threshold, said the organisation would look at each situation on its merits and try to prolong tenancy agreements. In terms of those who have received termination notices, McCafferty anticipated an increase in the number of people seeking advice and assistance since 1st April. According to McCafferty, Threshold dealt with over 700 webchats in March alone, which was higher than the number of webchats dealt with during the winter months when the eviction ban was in place.
Fr McVerry told Newstalk Breakfast about his concerns regarding emergency accommodation, stating that there was none available around the country, in particular in relation to families. Hotels would have previously provided temporary shelter for families but there are no rooms available. He went on to say that there was “virtually no emergency homeless accommodation available anywhere in the country” and that this was a nightmare scenario for tenants who had received notice to quit. Fr McVerry stated that if councils did not have emergency accommodation, there was no other option.
Focus Ireland reported that An Garda Síochána had requested that homeless people, who had no emergency accommodation options, not be sent to police stations due to the potentially inappropriate surroundings for children and safety concerns. The homeless charity stated that it had engaged with the police through meetings and in writing and had received the police’s position on station attendance several weeks ago. Despite understanding this point of view, Louise Bayliss, charity coordinator, stated that it was concerning given the worsening crisis, particularly on the shortage of last-minute emergency accommodation for families. Gardaí did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The issue of accommodation options for evicted tenants has been the subject of heated Dáil exchanges in recent days following the highly controversial move to end the moratorium. The current Minister for Housing, Darragh O’Brien, defended the decision to end the ban in an interview with Pat Kenny on Newstalk radio. On the subject of whether councils were being encouraged to buy large numbers of properties, he stated that they aimed to help families in need, who were on social housing waiting lists, and bring their property into public ownership. The purchase would not compete with first-time buyers. Threshold operates a freephone helpline that can provide advice and assistance with housing issues.
