Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 19:

In page 6, between lines 26 and 27, to insert the following: “Amendment of section 4 of Residential Tenancies and Valuation Act 2020

12.Section 4 of the Residential Tenancies and Valuation Act 2020 is amended, in subsection (6), by the insertion of the following paragraph:

“(d) any other person who, in the view of the Residential Tenancies Board, is at risk of losing their tenancy despite endeavouring to fully comply with the terms of their tenancy agreement and where the termination of that tenancy would put that person at risk of homelessness or at greater risk of contracting Covid-19.”.”.

We submitted this amendment to address the issue of the majority of tenants not covered by the Covid-19 emergency protections. I urge the Minister to acknowledge the significant numbers of tenants not on pandemic support payments who have lost some of their income and are now struggling to meet high rental costs and to not fall into arrears. We can do that by inserting into the Bill the following text: "in the view of the Residential Tenancies Board, is at risk of losing their tenancy despite endeavouring to fully comply with the terms of their tenancy agreement and where the termination of that tenancy would put that person at risk of homelessness or at greater risk of contracting Covid-19". We all know of tenants residing outside rent pressure zones who have been hit with rent increases. They are on modest incomes and under financial pressure. Therefore, I urge the Minister to accept this amendment to protect those not covered by the Covid-19 emergency protections.