Residential Tenancies and Valuation Bill 2020: Second Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2020-07-31
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Fiona O'Loughlin (FF), Administrative Panel

I thank the Minister of State for being here and wish him and the Minister well in their roles. They have a huge task ahead of them and the people of Ireland are depending on them to deliver on it. I wish that we did not need the legislation we are discussing today but we do need it because of the very broad impact of the Covid-19 crisis. There has been a huge increase in unemployment and many people in the residential rental sector have faced job losses, restricting their ability to pay rent and putting them at risk of losing their temporary homes. The legislation imposing restrictions on evictions that was introduced in March led to a 56% drop in the number of families presenting as homeless and in need of emergency accommodation. Those legislative provisions clearly have worked and it is important that we continue with them for the time being.
The private rental sector was in crisis before Covid because rents were and continue to be at an unsustainably high level. In County Kildare, for instance, the average rent is €1,440 a month, which is an increase of 4.5% on last year. The rental sector is in crisis because we do not have enough affordable housing provision and there is not enough social housing being built by local authorities. That is not the fault of the councils but is the consequence of a legacy of problems with red tape over the past nine years that has hindered their efforts to get the funding to build houses. Since I became a public representative, housing has, year on year, become the biggest issue I deal with. People contact me about it every single day. It is the issue about which I feel the most frustrated and worried that I am letting people down. I cannot do anything to support them in their absolute need for a home in an area in which to put down roots, know where they can send their children to school and be part of a sustainable community. On average, people are waiting ten to 12 years in Kildare for a home. In recent years, I have been particularly sad to find an increase in men and women, particularly single people, in their 60s, 70s and 80s not having a home to call their own. I find that incredibly depressing and a really sad thing to see in the Ireland of today.
One of the problems we are seeing is the proliferation of housing agencies. When I asked the director of housing in Kildare County Council about this last year, he told me he was dealing with 57 different housing agencies throughout the county. That is wrong. Local authorities should be getting the finance and support directly to build houses as opposed to having to deal with 57 separate housing agencies. I would make the point that housing co-operatives cannot buy their own houses. The principle of home ownership should apply to them as well.
Let me be clear that I am not and never have been a landlord, but I have been a renter. I rented for 16 years, including three years in Dublin when I was in college and 13 years in Newbridge when I moved there to start teaching. I do not see younger family members and friends of mine being in the position that I was, after 13 years of renting, of being able to buy my own house. That is the problem we are facing today. People of all ages and all incomes cannot afford to buy a home because there is not a sufficient plan in place to provide affordable housing.
I support the Bill. It is very important that we have it in place for the reasons I have outlined. There is a mentality out there that all landlords are bad. That is completely wrong. I want to stand up for the majority of landlords and tenants who work well together. They want compliance and transparency. Everybody needs to work together to ensure housing is delivered for those who need it, including those who are vulnerable and those who are working hard to get to a position whereby they can have their own homes.

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Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:48:31+00:00
Sitting date: 2020-07-31