Mr. Patrick Davitt:

There is no doubt this is the case. It is the case today. Ms O'Reilly of Threshold has spoken about a fund. At present, when tenants stop paying their part of the rent, the housing assistance payment is also stopped and the landlord is immediately left with no rent. This proposal would help greatly with the problem because were landlords to get the bigger part of the rent, which is the HAP part, they may well be happy to leave the tenant in the property without seeking to put them out. The tenants may only be paying a small part of the rent, perhaps 10% or 15% of it, but the minute they stop paying, the housing assistance payment is also stopped and the landlord has no rent. If the fund mentioned was in place, it would be helpful for the marketplace. With regard to vilification, we have spoken about landlords evicting tenants and looking for vacant possession.

If county councils were happy to buy properties for the market rent and at the market value of those properties, why would landlords not sell them the property tenanted? What is the problem? There is none except that the county councils and people will not pay that value for properties because they are being rented at half their value. That is the reason.