Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Mr. Coleman mentioned the tenants and how they are generally happy. The security of tenure is a big factor. I know from dealing constituents in the private market, they are on the edge of their seats the whole time as to when a lease will run out, when will the landlord decide he wants the home from one of his or her family, or when will the landlord decide to sell because houses are at their premium price in the area. There are notices for the termination of tenancies - this being the nice phrase with eviction notices being the more blunt one for it - being served left, right and centre. Some of the witnesses may come across people in those circumstances but it is an awful situation particularly for people who are pushing on in years. I dealt recently with a couple in their 80s. They were subsequently housed by the local authority. They were in a private rented house for years and it came to the point where the landlord said he was selling the house and that was that. Had they been in one of these houses, they would have been secure, once they kept to the terms of the tenancy. The LDA would get it back when the people passed to the next life. It would be repainted and allocated again and the wheel keeps turning around. Obviously, this is a great system. The security of tenure is fantastic; I acknowledge that.

Regarding the breakdown of the rents people pay, these multi-unit developments have to have a management company. It is not like a house. If there are 100 apartments in a block, there has to be a management company and there is maintenance. It is all very important. We could do with improving the legislation. A lot of improvements could be made to the way that system works but that is not something we can deal with here. At the point a management company is needed in the likes of Shanganagh or in Limerick, does the LDA undertake the management of them or does it contract a company to do it? How does that work?