Ms Margaret McCormick:

We originally came out with the Home for 12 initiative. We felt that would have worked. The biggest issue now is the legislation. There is no confidence and stability in the market. In a situation where the property is rented, there will always be a market of people who would be happy to give the property for a period, but at some stage they need to be able to get that back. Given the rate at which the legislation is changing and the difficulties with the legislation, it makes it less desirable.

The properties have to be maintained to a certain standard. They have to be looked after. We need to ensure all of that for the property because the risk is all on the landlord. The landlord is the one who borrows. The landlord is the one who takes all of the risk all of the time. The legislation has changed continually. We currently have indefinite tenancies unless we are selling or we need it for a member of our family. Such tenancies have been introduced. The IPOA is not against regulation or legislation. What we need is workable legislation. The legislation that is in place now is not outcome-focused. If one goes into a hearing, one technical point on something causes chaos. It means that the tenant can remain in the property. The system needs to be simplified. It needs to be workable for both the tenant and landlord, and it needs to be enforceable.