National housing charity Threshold helped 2,290 at risk tenancies in Dublin between July and September of this year, it was revealed this week.
In the first nine months of the year, over half of the queries received by Threshold nationally concerned security of tenure and tenancy termination, surpassing the number of queries received on the same issue for the entirety of 2021 and double the number received in 2020.
Advisors in Threshold answered an average of one call every 20 minutes from private renters across Ireland facing eviction in the first nine months of the year, according to the charity’s Q3 Impact Report.
Commenting on the outlook for the next few months, Threshold CEO, John Mark McCafferty, said: “The eviction ban will come to an end, it needs to come to an end eventually, in terms of mitigating the long-term impacts of the market.
“The moratorium pauses things, until March, and in that time, a lot of the underlying factors will still be there. A lot of landlords will ultimately want to leave and sell up.
“There is currently very little housing available in the market for people who are private renting or are looking to rent privately. People are worried about losing their current home and are wondering what their options are,” he explained.
A monthly average of 472 private renters facing eviction sought assistance from Threshold between January and September of this year. In Dublin, the charity reports that it protected 466 tenancies in the third quarter of the year, with 1,606 cases ongoing.
“It is absolutely vital that the government uses the time of this eviction ban to develop and implement measures to not only slow the rate of evictions being served to private renters, but also to increase the availability of affordable and secure homes. Failure to establish such measures will result in no improved outlook for private renters at the end of the eviction ban in Spring 2023,” the CEO cautioned.
Threshold has previously called on the Government to implement a number of measures to alleviate pressures facing private tenants and landlords.
“There are issues with supply and we’ve suggested a reduction to the capital gains tax when the landlord sells the home, if selling to a local authority or approved housing body. That’s one thing that could be considered in the coming winter months in preparation for the end of the eviction ban,” Mr McCafferty told this newspaper.
The charity also recommended a reduction on the rate of tax on rental incomes from properties subject to long-term lease agreements to increase security of tenure and an increase in schemes to return vacant homes for use in the rental sector. It called for the necessary measures to be made to return properties from the short-term rental sector to the long-term rental sector.
“We operate to advise, support, represent and to be on the side of private rented tenants across Ireland as a free service. We provide a free helpline and a webchat facility Monday to Friday and people can email us through the website.
“We are tasked with trying to the best of our abilities to protect tenancies from the spectre of homelessness. We’re trying to stop the problem before it starts and will continue to do that.
“It’s a much more challenging environment than it was and that’s why we exist. We exist to advise people who are in the private rented sector, we exist to represent tenants in hearings at the residential tenancies board (RTB), where we believe they have a case for their rights to be exercised,” Mr John-Mark McCafferty.
Between the period of July and September 2022, 1,384 private renters sought Threshold’s help when they received a notice of termination from their landlord, with 60 per cent of notices issued because the landlord intended to sell the property. Threshold advisors identified that 46 per cent of notices were invalid.
Threshold’s helpline is open Monday to Friday, 9am- 9pm at 1800 454 454, with webchat at www.threshold.ie/advice/help for any renter in need of advice or support.
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