Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

My amendment No. 9 addresses the phenomenon of accidental landlords. Building a house is less common in urban areas than in rural areas but these are people who built or bought a house and find that they are no longer living in the area. Perhaps they had to move to another part of the country or leave the country temporarily. If they are not living in them, we want those houses to be rented or sold to somebody else because we want as many houses as possible in use. If those people cannot get their house back when they return to the country, or if there is any suggestion that they will not be able to take up occupation of the house again, then they simply will not rent it, regardless of what incentives are brought in such as increasing the amount for housing Ukrainian people, tax penalties or tax incentives, or vacant house levies, which are relatively paltry.

If I had a vacant house, I would take my chances on the vacant house tax before I would rent it in circumstances where I thought I would not get it back. The difficulty is that the Minister has removed, for this period, the option where a landlord can serve notice that he or she needs the house for his or her own use or for the use by a family member. I am not talking about people who may have a huge portfolio of property; clearly that is an investment portfolio. If I am wrong on this, I am happy to stand corrected if that is what the Minister is doing. I do not believe that this will come to an end, unfortunately, and I did not believe that other restrictions would come to an end. The problem is not going to go away by next March. Deputy Boyd Barrett and I might disagree about some of the solutions, but I agree with him that the problem is not going to go away. I do not believe that even the Minister thinks the problem is going to go away by next March.

If it is proportionate to bring in these restrictions now, then there will be an argument that it is proportionate to extend them in March because if anything the problem will be even greater. The Minister is saying he will not extend it beyond March.

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