Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I am fully supportive of the proposition. When the rent pressure zone legislation was introduced in the dying days, if not hours, of the December 2016 Oireachtas term, this was one of the really controversial parts of the Bill. Originally, in fact, I do not think the Government intended to put this provision in at all. There was some pressure. At that time, there was not just a fear but a reality where, in certain cases, tenants in large numbers were being evicted, only to be then replaced by other tenants, with a higher rent being charged, or whatever. There was always a concern that the exemptions Deputy O'Callaghan is seeking to remove had the potential for abuse.

As he said, there have been several cases where there has been clear evidence of this having happened and forcing tenants who are struggling with eviction notices and perhaps trying to find somewhere else to have to go to the Residential Tenancies Board. We know this process can take four months. In the case of Tathony House, it is ongoing because in the first instance, the landlord lost the case but then appealed it to the tribunal. He has since withdrawn that appeal and initiated another round of eviction notices. During this lengthy time, however, some tenants, under stress, got so fed up that they have now found alternative arrangements. If I understand correctly, in terms of this amendment, that would no longer apply. Landlords can do that; they have the ability to wear the tenants down.

These exemptions should never have been there. They were never adequately justified and removing them is eminently sensible. I believe we have all stated on the record on various Stages that we would like to see the private rental sector have much longer and more secure tenancies, especially in the case of multi-unit developments, where they are not single-property landlords but are large, professional institutional landlords. If they want to sell, they can do so, but in a block with tenants in situ. There should not be exemptions.