Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

This Bill is the perfect example of Government spin. It is being hailed as the protection for renters during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, extending protections to 12 July 2021. However, what the Minister is not telling us is that it is an opportunity for the Government to strip rights from many renters in arrears but not affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. It is a short but dangerous Bill.

I would like to repeat the calls by Deputy Ó Broin and Threshold that section 2 of the Bill be deleted in its entirety. Section 2 of the Bill will amend sections 3 and 4 of the Residential Tenancies Act 2020. Therefore, even though there will be a moratorium on evictions, private renters in arrears may still be evicted. There is either a moratorium on evictions during the pandemic or there is not.

Threshold has asked for further consultation to take place on the Residential Tenancies Act 2020 before any changes are made. Obviously, that will not happen now that the debate has already started. Threshold has stated that "this Act has been very successful in preventing homelessness and precarity". When a charity dealing with preventing homelessness from the private rental sector tells us that legislation is working, why would we change it?

There has been low uptake of the scheme to deal with rent arrears as provided for in the Planning and Development, and Residential Tenancies, Act 2020. Threshold has noted that the rent arrears scheme is complex and that it does not provide any significant solution to tenant indebtedness. It has stated that it is:

concerned that there are many private renters who will not be able to avail of the protections afforded by the Planning and Development, and Residential Tenancies, Act 2020 and who could be lawfully evicted during lockdown when the 5 km limit is in place.

The rental market was a mess before Covid-19. Rents were unaffordable, people were living in unsuitable, cramped and overcrowded accommodation units and most people experiencing homelessness had been evicted from the private rental sector. Why would the Government now undo any protections in place for this cohort of renters? Is it seeking to get the homeless figures back up to over 10,000? It seems as if that will happen with this legislation. Does the Government want to rob some more children of their security and homes? I ask the Government to delete section 2 and consult with stakeholders who know what they are talking about and not just those who will make money on the back of its decisions.

The Government always likes to say that the Opposition or advocacy agencies never put forward any solutions to the housing and rental crisis. We do, all the time. It is that we do not just propose profit-producing solutions for landlords, real estate investment trusts, REITs, and investors. Ms Ann-Marie O'Reilly, policy officer at Threshold, stated:

Solutions, instead of evictions, for rent arrears need to be established. Threshold has proposed a number of solutions such as a low interest rent arrears loan fund, or a debt write off scheme in the direst of circumstances.

Why does the Government continuously ignore the real-life impacts of its policy decisions? Fianna Fáil continues to talk out of both sides of its mouth. The public-facing side says that it is protecting renters during a pandemic, but on the other side could be saying not to worry, it will get rid of those in rent arrears so that people can get new tenants and charge more.

I want to bring one of those real-life stories to the attention of the Minister. I have already spoken about the housing and rental situation in Donegal. There is scarce availability of places to rent and while the rents seem lower compared to Dublin levels, incomes are also much lower. I would also like to support the comments of other Members in respect of the need to change the income level eligibility criteria for those waiting to get on the housing list. I have made representations to the Minister and previous Ministers on that issue.

Apologies, I have lost my train of thought.

Where a landlord refuses to accept HAP for privately rented accommodation, it is up to the tenant to inform the relevant authorities. That should not be the case. It is not fair to put the tenant in that situation. The County Council should be required to inform the relevant authorities.

I would like to provide an example of a woman, Ms Mary Coogan, who is trying to buy a home for herself in Dublin. She has appeared on RTÉ's "Prime Time", has written blogs and appeared on podcasts. Mary's third house-buying blog post is entitled "The Rage". The inspiration for this blog post came from a Journal.iearticle that profiled a single man looking to buy a home with a budget of €600,000.

That is not real life and it is not representative of people in the rental market looking to buy a home. It is not representative of the majority of single people, couples or lone parents hoping to stop paying someone else's mortgage in the form of extortionate rent and instead own their own home and have some security for the future.

Mary Coogan has put the situation facing many renters very succinctly:

Single people are largely invisible in housing discourse... Sure, we can be in mortgage ads happily unpacking boxes or dancing around our kitchen, but what they tend not to mention is that the happy dancer would need to either 1) be on a salary of 75k+ and/or 2) have received a gift of min. 50-70K to get her hands on those keys. Most of us are not on that kind of salary, and most of us don't have access to family wealth. So what do we do? Rent forever? Live in a house share into our 60s? I have saved the deposit on my own so I know I am well able to save, but no amount of skipped avocado on toast will enable me to save the 50-70k I need to get me towards a 2 bed in Dublin 12/10.

It is time for the Minister to start listening to the Opposition, the advocacy and civil society groups and the many people affected by housing policies that only benefit the few.

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